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Diffusion-weighted MRI in neurodegenerative and psychiatric animal models: Experimental strategies and main outcomes
Amr Eed1, Antonio Cerdán Cerdá1, Juan Lerma1
1Instituto de Neurociencias, CSIC, UMH, San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
Abstract:
Preclinical MRI approaches constitute a key tool to study a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric illnesses, allowing a more direct investigation of the disorder substrate and, at the same time, the possibility of back-translating such findings to human subjects. However, the lack of consensus on the optimal experimental scheme used to acquire the data has led to relatively high heterogeneity in the choice of protocols, which can potentially impact the comparison between results obtained by different groups, even using the same animal model. This is especially true for diffusion-weighted MRI data, where certain experimental choices can impact not only on the accuracy and precision of the extracted biomarkers, but also on their biological meaning. With this in mind, we extensively examined preclinical imaging studies that used diffusion-weighted MRI to investigate neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in rodent models. In this review, we discuss the main findings for each preclinical model, with a special focus on the analysis and comparison of the different acquisition strategies used across studies and their impact on the heterogeneity of the findings.
Insights
Preclinical MRI studies investigating brain disorders show significant variability in diffusion-weighted imaging protocols. This review highlights how different acquisition strategies impact findings in rodent models, affecting biomarker accuracy and biological meaning.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Translational Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Preclinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial for studying neurological and psychiatric disorders in animal models.
- Standardization of MRI acquisition protocols is lacking, leading to heterogeneity in research findings.
- Diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) is particularly sensitive to acquisition choices, impacting biomarker accuracy and biological interpretation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review preclinical dMRI studies of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric disorders in rodent models.
- To analyze and compare diverse acquisition strategies employed across these studies.
- To assess the impact of these strategies on the heterogeneity of research findings.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of preclinical imaging studies utilizing diffusion-weighted MRI in rodent models.
- Analysis of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric disorder research.
- Focus on comparing different MRI acquisition protocols and their influence on results.
Main Results:
- Significant heterogeneity exists in dMRI acquisition protocols across preclinical studies.
- Specific experimental choices in dMRI acquisition influence biomarker accuracy and biological interpretation.
- Variability in protocols contributes to discrepancies in findings, even within the same animal model.
Conclusions:
- The lack of standardized dMRI protocols in preclinical research hinders result comparability.
- Careful consideration and standardization of acquisition strategies are necessary for robust translational findings.
- Further research is needed to optimize dMRI protocols for consistent and reliable preclinical brain disorder studies.
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