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Advanced Diffusion Imaging in The Hippocampus of Rats with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
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Advanced Diffusion Imaging in The Hippocampus of Rats with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Published on: August 14, 2019

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Telomere length and advanced diffusion MRI as biomarkers for repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in adolescent

David K Wright1, Terence J O'Brien2, Richelle Mychasiuk3

  • 1Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.

Neuroimage. Clinical
|June 8, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Repeated mild traumatic brain injuries (RmTBI) in adolescent rats shortened telomere length (TL) and altered diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) measures in the brain, suggesting these could be useful biomarkers for RmTBI.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biomarkers
  • Adolescent Health

Background:

  • Repeated mild traumatic brain injuries (RmTBI) pose significant neurological risks in adolescents.
  • Objective biomarkers are crucial for managing RmTBI and guiding medical decisions.
  • Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) and telomere length (TL) are potential biomarkers implicated in neurological conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of RmTBI on DWI and TL in adolescent rats.
  • To explore the relationship between RmTBI-induced changes in DWI and TL.
  • To assess the potential of TL and DWI as biomarkers for RmTBI.

Main Methods:

  • Adolescent male and female rats underwent three lateral impact mTBIs or sham injuries.
  • Injuries were administered starting on postnatal day 30, with four-day intervals.
  • Seven days post-injury, ear tissue for TL analysis and brains for DWI were collected.

Main Results:

  • RmTBI rats exhibited significantly shorter TL compared to sham-injured controls.
  • Abnormalities in the corpus callosum and cortex were observed in RmTBI rats using advanced DWI measures.
  • A notable correlation was found between several DWI changes and TL.

Conclusions:

  • RmTBI significantly impacts both TL and DWI measures in adolescent rats.
  • TL and DWI alterations following RmTBI may serve as clinically relevant biomarkers.
  • These findings highlight the potential for objective assessment of RmTBI consequences.
Keywords:
Animal modelBiomarkerConcussionDiffusion tensor imagingMRITrack weighted imaging

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