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Detection Accuracy of Ischemia and Neuroinflammation in Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats Using Amide Proton
Yunfan Zou1,2, Yinfeng Dong3, Jieru Wan3
1Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
NMR in Biomedicine
|January 14, 2026
Summary
Amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) imaging effectively detects ischemia and neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury (TBI). This MRI technique aids in early diagnosis and severity assessment for better TBI management.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) involve secondary injuries like ischemia and neuroinflammation, which are challenging to assess non-invasively.
- Early detection of these secondary injuries is crucial for accurate TBI severity assessment and timely therapeutic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) imaging for detecting ischemia and neuroinflammation post-TBI.
- To compare APTw imaging with other MRI parameters in identifying these secondary injury markers.
Main Methods:
- Controlled cortical impact (CCI) was used to induce mild, moderate, and severe TBIs in 55 rats.
- 4.7T MRI scans were performed at multiple time points (1 hour to 28 days post-injury).
- Perilesional cortical MRI values, including APTw, were analyzed, and the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) was calculated.
Main Results:
- APTw hypointensities at 1 hour post-injury indicated ischemia, with medium to large effect sizes across injury severities.
- APTw hyperintensities at 3 days post-injury indicated neuroinflammation, showing superior performance compared to other MRI parameters (APTw AUC = 0.950).
- The diagnostic accuracy of APTw imaging was significant for both ischemia and neuroinflammation detection.
Conclusions:
- APTw imaging demonstrates significant promise as a non-invasive tool for early detection of ischemia and neuroinflammation following TBI.
- This technique can aid in precise TBI severity assessment and guide targeted treatment strategies.
- APTw imaging offers a valuable advancement in TBI research and clinical diagnostics.
