Detection of axonal degeneration in a mouse model of Huntington's disease: comparison between diffusion tensor imaging and anomalous diffusion metrics.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The goal of this work is to study the changes in white matter integrity in R6/2, a well-established animal model of Huntington's disease (HD) that are captured by ex vivo diffusion imaging (DTI) using a high field MRI (17.6 T).

Materials and methods

DTI and continuous time random walk (CTRW) models were used to fit changes in the diffusion-weighted signal intensity in the corpus callosum of controls and in R6/2 mice.

Results

A significant 13% decrease in fractional anisotropy, a 7% increase in axial diffusion, and a 33% increase in radial diffusion were observed between R6/2 and control mice. No change was observed in the CTRW beta parameter, but a significant decrease in the alpha parameter (- 21%) was measured. Histological analysis of the corpus callosum

SUBMITTER: Gatto RG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7837609 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature