Quantitative activation-induced manganese-enhanced MRI reveals severity of Parkinson's disease in mice

Satomi Kikuta1, Yukiyo Nakamura2, Yukio Yamamura2

  • 11] Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan [2] CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi 332-0012, Japan [3] Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Scientific Reports
|August 11, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Activation-induced manganese-enhanced MRI (qAIM-MRI) can reveal Parkinson's disease (PD) severity in mice. This technique tracks manganese ion accumulation linked to neuronal activity in the brain, correlating with PD symptoms.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting motor function.
  • Current diagnostic methods for PD severity can be limited.
  • Understanding neuronal activity changes in PD is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the utility of activation-induced manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with quantitative determination of the longitudinal relaxation time (qAIM-MRI) for assessing Parkinson's disease severity.
  • To establish the relationship between manganese ion accumulation and neuronal activity in a mouse model of PD.

Main Methods:

  • Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (AIM-MRI) was employed.
  • Quantitative determination of the longitudinal relaxation time (qAIM-MRI) was performed.
  • PD-model mice were used to observe manganese ion accumulation and correlate it with disease severity.

Main Results:

  • Manganese ion accumulation was demonstrated to be dependent on neuronal activity.
  • A highly active region in the caudate-putamen was identified in PD-model mice using qAIM-MRI.
  • The observed activity in the caudate-putamen showed a significant correlation with the severity of Parkinson's disease.

Conclusions:

  • qAIM-MRI is a promising technique for revealing the severity of Parkinson's disease in preclinical models.
  • The caudate-putamen's activity, as measured by qAIM-MRI, is implicated in the expression of PD symptoms.
  • This imaging approach offers a potential tool for objective assessment of PD progression.

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