Magnetic resonance imaging as a tool to image neuroinflammation in a rat model of Parkinson's disease--phagocyte influx to the brain is promoted by bilberry-enriched diet.

Neuroinflammation is a chronic event in neurodegenerative disorders. In the rat model of Parkinson's disease, including a striatal injection of the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), antioxidant treatment affects the inflammatory process. Despite a heavy accumulation of microglia early after the injury, dopamine nerve fibre regeneration occurs. It remains unclear why this heavy accumulation of microglia is found early after the lesion in antioxidant-treated animals, or even more, what is the origin of these microglia. In this study magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to elucidate whether the inflammatory response was generated from the blood or from activated brain microglia. Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles were injected intravenously prior to a striatal 6-OHDA injection to tag phagocytes in the blood. Rats were fed either with bilberry-enriched or control diet. T2*-weighted MRI scans were performed 1 week after the lesion, and hypointense areas were calculated from T2*-weighted images, to monitor the presence of SPIO particles. The results revealed that feeding the animals with bilberries significantly promoted accumulation of blood-derived immune cells. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI demonstrated no difference in leakage of the blood-brain barrier independent of diets. To conclude, bilberry-enriched diet promotes an influx of periphery-derived immune cells to the brain early after injury.

Vascular pathology of 20-month-old hypercholesterolemia mice in comparison to triple-transgenic and APPSwDI Alzheimer's disease mouse models.

Several studies have shown that elevated plasma cholesterol levels (i.e. hypercholesterolemia) serve as a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it remains unclear how hypercholesterolemia may contribute to the onset and progression of AD pathology. In order to determine the role of hypercholesterolemia at various stages of AD, we evaluated the effects of high cholesterol diet (5% cholesterol) in wild-type (WT; C57BL6) and triple-transgenic AD (3xTg-AD; Psen1, APPSwe, tauB301L) mice at 7, 14, and 20 months. The transgenic APP-Swedish/Dutch/Iowa AD mouse model (APPSwDI) was used as a control since these animals are more pathologically-accelerated and are known to exhibit extensive plaque deposition and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Here, we describe the effects of high cholesterol diet on: (1) cognitive function and stress, (2) AD-associated pathologies, (3) neuroinflammation, (4) blood­brain barrier disruption and ventricle size, and (5) vascular dysfunction. Our data show that high dietary cholesterol increases weight, slightly impairs cognitive function, promotes glial cell activation and complement-related pathways, enhances the infiltration of blood-derived proteins and alters vascular integrity, however, it does not induce AD-related pathologies. While normal-fed 3xTg-AD mice display a typical AD-like pathology in addition to severe cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation at 20 months of age, vascular alterations are less pronounced. No microbleedings were seen by MRI, however, the ventricle size was enlarged. Triple-transgenic AD mice, on the other hand, fed a high cholesterol diet do not survive past 14 months of age. Our data indicates that cholesterol does not markedly potentiate AD-related pathology, nor does it cause significant impairments in cognition. However, it appears that high cholesterol diet markedly increases stress-related plasma corticosterone levels as well as some vessel pathologies. Together, our findings represent the first demonstration of prolonged high cholesterol diet and the examination of its effects at various stages of cerebrovascular- and AD-related disease.

Longitudinal monitoring of the mouse brain reveals heterogenous network trajectories during aging.

The human aging brain is characterized by changes in network efficiency that are currently best captured through longitudinal resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). These studies however are challenging due to the long human lifespan. Here we show that the mouse animal model with a much shorter lifespan allows us to follow the functional network organization over most of the animal's adult lifetime. We used a longitudinal study of the functional connectivity of different brain regions with rs-fMRI under anesthesia. Our analysis uncovers network modules similar to those reported in younger mice and in humans (i.e., prefrontal/default mode network (DMN), somatomotor and somatosensory networks). Statistical analysis reveals different patterns of network reorganization during aging. Female mice showed a pattern akin to human aging, with de-differentiation of the connectome, mainly due to increases in connectivity of the prefrontal/DMN cortical networks to other modules. Our male cohorts revealed heterogenous aging patterns with only one group confirming the de- differentiation, while the majority showed an increase in connectivity of the somatomotor cortex to the Nucleus accumbens. In summary, in line with human work, our analysis in mice supports the concept of de-differentiation in the aging mammalian brain and reveals additional trajectories in aging mice networks.

An MR-based brain template and atlas for optical projection tomography and light sheet fluorescence microscopy in neuroscience.

Introduction: Optical Projection Tomography (OPT) and light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) are high resolution optical imaging techniques, ideally suited for ex vivo 3D whole mouse brain imaging. Although they exhibit high specificity for their targets, the anatomical detail provided by tissue autofluorescence remains limited. Methods: T1-weighted images were acquired from 19 BABB or DBE cleared brains to create an MR template using serial longitudinal registration. Afterwards, fluorescent OPT and LSFM images were coregistered/normalized to the MR template to create fusion images. Results: Volumetric calculations revealed a significant difference between BABB and DBE cleared brains, leading to develop two optimized templates, with associated tissue priors and brain atlas, for BABB (OCUM) and DBE (iOCUM). By creating fusion images, we identified virus infected brain regions, mapped dopamine transporter and translocator protein expression, and traced innervation from the eye along the optic tract to the thalamus and superior colliculus using cholera toxin B. Fusion images allowed for precise anatomical identification of fluorescent signal in the detailed anatomical context provided by MR. Discussion: The possibility to anatomically map fluorescent signals on magnetic resonance (MR) images, widely used in clinical and preclinical neuroscience, would greatly benefit applications of optical imaging of mouse brain. These specific MR templates for cleared brains enable a broad range of neuroscientific applications integrating 3D optical brain imaging.

Effects of peptide hydrophobicity on its incorporation in phospholipid membranes--an NMR and ellipsometry study.

Effects of peptide hydrophobicity on lipid membrane binding, incorporation, and defect formation was investigated for variants of the complement-derived antimicrobial peptide CNY21 (CNYITELRRQHARASHLGLAR), in anionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (POPE)/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylglycerol (POPG) and zwitterionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) membranes. Using a method combination of, e.g., ellipsometry, CD, and fluorescence spectroscopy, it was shown that peptide adsorption, as well as peptide-induced liposome leakage and bactericidal potency against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was promoted by increasing the hydrophobicity of CNY21 through either substituting the two histidines (H) in CNY21 with more hydrophobic leucine (L) residues, or end-tagging with tritryptophan (WWW). Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that both CNY21WWW and the WWW tripeptide localized to the polar headgroup region of these phospholipid membranes. Deuterium NMR experiments on macroscopically oriented membranes containing fully (palmitoyl) deuterated POPC (POPC-d(31)) demonstrated that both CNY21L and CNY21WWW induced disordering of the lipid membrane. In contrast, for cholesterol-supplemented POPC-d(31) bilayers, peptide-induced disordering was less pronounced in the case of CNY21L, indicating that the peptide is unable to partition to the interior of the lipid membrane in the presence of cholesterol. CNY21WWW, on the other hand, retained its membrane-disordering effect also for cholesterol-supplemented POPC-d(31). These findings were supported by pulsed field gradient NMR experiments where the lateral lipid diffusion was determined in the absence and presence of peptides. Overall, the results provide some mechanistic understanding to previously observed effects of peptide hydrophobization through point mutations and end-tagging, particularly so for complement-based antimicrobial peptides.

N-acetylcysteine decreases dopamine transporter availability in the non-lesioned striatum of the 6-OHDA hemiparkinsonian rat.

This study aimed to explore the beneficial effects of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the degenerated dopamine system. The short- and long-term regulatory mechanisms of NAC on the 6-OHDA hemiparkinsonian rat model were longitudinally investigated by performing positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using the specific dopamine transporter (DAT) radioligand [18F]FE-PE2I. The results demonstrate that after a unilateral dopamine insult NAC has a strong influence on the non-lesioned hemisphere by decreasing the levels of DAT in the striatum early after the lesion. We interpret this early and short-term decrease of DAT in the healthy striatum of NAC-treated animals as a beneficial compensatory effect induced by NAC.

Learning-related contraction of gray matter in rodent sensorimotor cortex is associated with adaptive myelination.

From observations in rodents, it has been suggested that the cellular basis of learning-dependent changes, detected using structural MRI, may be increased dendritic spine density, alterations in astrocyte volume, and adaptations within intracortical myelin. Myelin plasticity is crucial for neurological function, and active myelination is required for learning and memory. However, the dynamics of myelin plasticity and how it relates to morphometric-based measurements of structural plasticity remains unknown. We used a motor skill learning paradigm in male mice to evaluate experience-dependent brain plasticity by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in longitudinal MRI, combined with a cross-sectional immunohistochemical investigation. Whole-brain VBM revealed nonlinear decreases in gray matter volume (GMV) juxtaposed to nonlinear increases in white matter volume (WMV) within GM that were best modeled by an asymptotic time course. Using an atlas-based cortical mask, we found nonlinear changes with learning in primary and secondary motor areas and in somatosensory cortex. Analysis of cross-sectional myelin immunoreactivity in forelimb somatosensory cortex confirmed an increase in myelin immunoreactivity followed by a return towards baseline levels. Further investigations using quantitative confocal microscopy confirmed these changes specifically to the length density of myelinated axons. The absence of significant histological changes in cortical thickness suggests that nonlinear morphometric changes are likely due to changes in intracortical myelin for which morphometric WMV in somatosensory cortex significantly correlated with myelin immunoreactivity. Together, these observations indicate a nonlinear increase of intracortical myelin during learning and support the hypothesis that myelin is a component of structural changes observed by VBM during learning.

Lipid lateral diffusion and membrane heterogeneity.

The pulsed field gradient (pfg)-NMR method for measurements of translational diffusion of molecules in macroscopically aligned lipid bilayers is described. This technique is proposed to have an appreciable potential for investigations in the field of lipid and membrane biology. Transport of molecules in the plane of the bilayer can be successfully studied, as well as lateral phase separation of lipids and their dynamics within the bilayer organizations. Lateral diffusion coefficients depend on lipid packing and acyl chain ordering and investigations of order parameters of perdeuterated acyl chains, using (2)H NMR quadrupole splittings, are useful complements. In this review we summarize some of our recent achievements obtained on lipid membranes. In particular, bilayers exhibiting two-phase coexistence of liquid disordered (l(d)) and liquid ordered (l(o)) phases are considered in detail. Methods for obtaining good oriented lipid bilayers, necessary for the pfg-NMR method to be efficiently used, are also briefly described. Among our major results, besides determinations of l(d) and l(o) phases, belongs the finding that the lateral diffusion is the same for all components, independent of the molecular structure (including cholesterol (CHOL)), if they reside in the same domain or phase in the membrane. Furthermore, quite unexpectedly CHOL seems to partition into the l(d)and l(o) phases to roughly the same extent, indicating that CHOL has no strong preference for any of these phases, i.e. CHOL seems to have similar interactions with all of the lipids. We propose that the lateral phase separation in bilayers containing one high-T(m) and one low-T(m) lipid together with CHOL is driven by the increasing difficulty of incorporating an unsaturated or prenyl lipid into the highly ordered bilayer formed by a saturated lipid and CHOL, i.e. the phase transition is entropy driven to keep the disorder of the hydrocarbon chains of the unsaturated lipid.

Effect of sterol structure on the bending rigidity of lipid membranes: A (2)H NMR transverse relaxation study.

The effect of incorporation of 3-43 mol% sterol on the lipid order and bilayer rigidity has been investigated for model membranes of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. (2)H NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation rates were measured for macroscopically aligned bilayers. The characteristics of spectra obtained at temperatures between 0-60 degrees Celsius are interpreted in terms of a two-phase coexistence of the liquid disordered and the liquid ordered phases and the data is found to be in agreement with the phase diagram published by Vist and Davis (Biochemistry 29 (1990), pp. 451-464). The bending modulus of the bilayers was calculated from plots of relaxation rate vs. the square of the order parameter at 44 degrees Celsius. Clear differences were obtained in the efficiency of the sterols to increase the stiffness of the bilayers. These differences are correlated to the ability of the sterols to induce the liquid ordered phase in binary as well as in ternary systems; the only exception being ergosterol, which was found to be unable to induce l(o) phases and also had a relatively weak effect on the bilayer stiffness in contrast to earlier reports.

Forecasting memory function in aging: pattern-completion ability and hippocampal activity relate to visuospatial functioning over 25 years.

Heterogeneity in episodic memory functioning in aging was assessed with a pattern-completion functional magnetic resonance imaging task that required reactivation of well-consolidated face-name memory traces from fragmented (partial) or morphed (noisy) face cues. About half of the examined individuals (N = 101) showed impaired (chance) performance on fragmented faces despite intact performance on complete and morphed faces, and they did not show a pattern-completion response in hippocampus or the examined subfields (CA1, CA23, DGCA4). This apparent pattern-completion deficit could not be explained by differential hippocampal atrophy. Instead, the impaired group displayed lower cortical volumes, accelerated reduction in mini-mental state examination scores, and lower general cognitive function as defined by longitudinal measures of visuospatial functioning and speed-of-processing. In the full sample, inter-individual differences in visuospatial functioning predicted performance on fragmented faces and hippocampal CA23 subfield activity over 25 years. These findings suggest that visuospatial functioning in middle age can forecast pattern-completion deficits in aging.

Segregated phases in pulmonary surfactant membranes do not show coexistence of lipid populations with differentiated dynamic properties.

The composition of pulmonary surfactant membranes and films has evolved to support a complex lateral structure, including segregation of ordered/disordered phases maintained up to physiological temperatures. In this study, we have analyzed the temperature-dependent dynamic properties of native surfactant membranes and membranes reconstituted from two surfactant hydrophobic fractions (i.e., all the lipids plus the hydrophobic proteins SP-B and SP-C, or only the total lipid fraction). These preparations show micrometer-sized fluid ordered/disordered phase coexistence, associated with a broad endothermic transition ending close to 37 degrees C. However, both types of membrane exhibit uniform lipid mobility when analyzed by electron paramagnetic resonance with different spin-labeled phospholipids. A similar feature is observed with pulse-field gradient NMR experiments on oriented membranes reconstituted from the two types of surfactant hydrophobic extract. These latter results suggest that lipid dynamics are similar in the coexisting fluid phases observed by fluorescence microscopy. Additionally, it is found that surfactant proteins significantly reduce the average intramolecular lipid mobility and translational diffusion of phospholipids in the membranes, and that removal of cholesterol has a profound impact on both the lateral structure and dynamics of surfactant lipid membranes. We believe that the particular lipid composition of surfactant imposes a highly dynamic framework on the membrane structure, as well as maintains a lateral organization that is poised at the edge of critical transitions occurring under physiological conditions.

Cardiovascular factors are related to dopamine integrity and cognition in aging.

OBJECTIVE: The aging brain undergoes several changes, including reduced vascular, structural, and dopamine (DA) system integrity. Such brain changes have been associated with age-related cognitive deficits. However, their relative importance, interrelations, and links to risk factors remain elusive. METHODS: The present work used magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography with 11 C-raclopride to jointly examine vascular parameters (white-matter lesions and perfusion), DA D2-receptor availability, brain structure, and cognitive performance in healthy older adults (n = 181, age: 64-68 years) from the Cognition, Brain, and Aging (COBRA) study. RESULTS: Covariance was found among several brain indicators, where top predictors of cognitive performance included caudate and hippocampal integrity (D2DR availability and volumes), and cortical blood flow and regional volumes. White-matter lesion burden was negatively correlated with caudate DA D2-receptor availability and white-matter microstructure. Compared to individuals with smaller lesions, individuals with confluent lesions (exceeding 20 mm in diameter) had reductions in cortical and hippocampal perfusion, striatal and hippocampal D2-receptor availability, white-matter microstructure, and reduced performance on tests of episodic memory, sequence learning, and processing speed. Higher cardiovascular risk as assessed by treatment for hypertension, systolic blood pressure, overweight, and smoking was associated with lower frontal cortical perfusion, lower putaminal D2DR availability, smaller grey-matter volumes, a larger number of white-matter lesions, and lower episodic memory performance. INTERPRETATION: Taken together, these findings suggest that reduced cardiovascular health is associated with poorer status for brain variables that are central to age-sensitive cognitive functions, with emphasis on DA integrity.

In vivo Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging, and Tractography of a Sciatic Nerve Injury Model in Rat at 9.4T.

Peripheral nerve injuries result in severe loss of sensory and motor functions in the afflicted limb. There is a lack of standardised models to non-invasively study degeneration, regeneration, and normalisation of neuronal microstructure in peripheral nerves. This study aimed to develop a non-invasive evaluation of peripheral nerve injuries, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), and tractography on a rat model of sciatic nerve injury. 10 female Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to sciatic nerve neurotmesis and studied using a 9.4 T magnet, by performing DTI and DKI of the sciatic nerve before and 4 weeks after injury. The distal nerve stump showed a decrease in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean kurtosis (MK), axonal water fraction (AWF), and radial and axonal kurtosis (RK, AK) after injury. The proximal stump showed a significant decrease in axial diffusivity (AD) and increase of MK and AK as compared with the uninjured nerve. Both mean diffusivity (MD) and radial diffusivity (RD) increased in the distal stump after injury. Tractography visualised the sciatic nerve and the site of injury, as well as local variations of the diffusion parameters following injury. In summary, the described method detects changes both proximal and distal to the nerve injury.

Influence of perfluorinated compounds on the properties of model lipid membranes.

The influence of selected perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), on the structure and organization of lipid membranes was investigated using model membranes-lipid monolayers and bilayers. The simplest model--a lipid monolayer--was studied at the air-water interface using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique with surface pressure and surface potential measurements. Lipid bilayers were characterized by NMR techniques and molecular dynamics simulations. Two phospholipids, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC), characterized by different surface properties have been chosen as components of the model membranes. For a DPPC monolayer, a phase transition from the liquid-expanded state to the liquid-condensed state can be observed upon compression at room temperature, while a DMPC monolayer under the same conditions remains in the liquid-expanded state. For each of the two lipids, the presence of both PFOA and PFOS leads to the formation of a more fluidic layer at the air-water interface. Pulsed field gradient NMR measurements of the lateral diffusion coefficient (DL) of DMPC and PFOA in oriented bilayers reveal that, upon addition of PFOA to DMPC bilayers, DL of DMPC decreases for small amounts of PFOA, while larger additions produce an increased DL. The DL values of PFOA were found to be slightly larger than those for DMPC, probably as a consequence of the water solubility of PFOA. Furthermore, 31P and 2H NMR showed that the gel-liquid crystalline phase transition temperature decreased by the addition of PFOA for concentrations of 5 mol % and above, indicating a destabilizing effect of PFOA on the membranes. Deuterium order parameters of deuterated DMPC were found to increase slightly upon increasing the PFOA concentration. The monolayer experiments reveal that PFOS also penetrates slowly into already preformed lipid layers, leading to a change of their properties with time. These experimental observations are in qualitative agreement with the computational results obtained from the molecular dynamics simulations showing a slow migration of PFCs from the surrounding water phase into DPPC and DMPC bilayers.

Lateral diffusion coefficients of raft lipids from pulsed field gradient NMR.

The pulsed field gradient-nuclear magnetic resonance diffusion technique has an appreciable potential for biophysical investigations in membrane biology, various lyotropic liquid crystals, and other complex fluid systems. In particular, topics like transport of molecules both across and within the plane of a lipid membrane can be successfully studied, as well as the formation of lipid domains and their intrinsic dynamics. The pulsed field gradient-nuclear magnetic resonance technique and the preparation of oriented samples for investigations of lipid lateral diffusion in macroscopically aligned bilayers, oriented by a goniometer probe in the main magnetic field, are described. Some recent results illustrating the potential of the method in detecting and characterizing domain formation are also presented.

An altered blood-brain barrier contributes to brain iron accumulation and neuroinflammation in the 6-OHDA rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Brain iron accumulation is a common feature shared by several neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease. However, what produces this accumulation of iron is still unknown. In this study, the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) hemi-parkinsonian rat model was used to investigate abnormal iron accumulation in substantia nigra. We investigated three possible causes of iron accumulation; a compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB), abnormal expression of ferritin, and neuroinflammation. We identified alterations in the BBB subsequent to the injection of 6-OHDA using gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Moreover, detection of extravasated IgG suggested that peripheral components are able to enter the brain through a leaky BBB. Presence of iron following dopamine cell degeneration was studied by MRI, which revealed hypointense signals in the substantia nigra. The presence of iron deposits was further validated in histological evaluations. Furthermore, iron inclusions were closely associated with active microglia and with increased levels of L-ferritin indicating a putative role for microglia and L-ferritin in brain iron accumulation and dopamine neurodegeneration.

Longitudinal association between hippocampus atrophy and episodic-memory decline.

There is marked variability in both onset and rate of episodic-memory decline in aging. Structural magnetic resonance imaging studies have revealed that the extent of age-related brain changes varies markedly across individuals. Past studies of whether regional atrophy accounts for episodic-memory decline in aging have yielded inconclusive findings. Here we related 15-year changes in episodic memory to 4-year changes in cortical and subcortical gray matter volume and in white-matter connectivity and lesions. In addition, changes in word fluency, fluid IQ (Block Design), and processing speed were estimated and related to structural brain changes. Significant negative change over time was observed for all cognitive and brain measures. A robust brain-cognition change-change association was observed for episodic-memory decline and atrophy in the hippocampus. This association was significant for older (65-80 years) but not middle-aged (55-60 years) participants and not sensitive to the assumption of ignorable attrition. Thus, these longitudinal findings highlight medial-temporal lobe system integrity as particularly crucial for maintaining episodic-memory functioning in older age.

Lipid lateral diffusion in bilayers with phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and cholesterol. An NMR study of dynamics and lateral phase separation.

Pulsed field gradient (pfg)-NMR measurements of the lipid lateral diffusion coefficients in several macroscopically aligned bilayer systems were summarized from previous and new studies. The aim was to carry out a comparison of the translational dynamics for bilayers with various mixtures of l,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), l,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and chicken egg yolk sphingomyelin (eSM), with or without cholesterol. New useful information was obtained on the dynamics in these lipid bilayers that has not been previously appreciated. Thus, we were able to propose that the driving force behind the phase separation into l(d)and l(o)phases evolves from the increasing difficulty to incorpotate DOPC into a highly ordered phase. Our results suggest that DOPC has a preference to be located in a disordered phase, while DPPC and eSM prefer the ordered phase. Quite unexpectedly, CHOL seems to partition into both phases to roughly the same extent, indicating that CHOL has no particular preference for any of the l(d)or l(o) phases, and there are no specific interactions between CHOL and saturated lipids.

Differentiation of Pre- and Postganglionic Nerve Injury Using MRI of the Spinal Cord.

Brachial plexus injury (BPI) is a devastating type of nerve injury, potentially causing loss of motor and sensory function. Principally, BPI is either categorized as preganglionic or postganglionic, with the early establishment of injury level being crucial for choosing the correct treatment strategy. Despite diagnostic advances, the need for a reliable, non-invasive method for establishing the injury level remains. We studied the usefulness of in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spinal cord for determination of injury level. The findings were related to neuronal and glial changes. Rats underwent unilateral L4 & L5 ventral roots avulsion or sciatic nerve axotomy. The injuries served as models for pre- and postganglionic BPI, respectively. MRI of the L4/L5 spinal cord segments 4 weeks after avulsion showed ventral horn (VH) shrinkage on the injured side compared to the uninjured side. Axotomy induced no change in the VH size on MRI. Following avulsion, histological sections of L4/L5 revealed shrinkage in the VH grey matter area occupied by NeuN-positive neurons, loss of microtubular-associated protein-2 positive dendritic branches (MAP2), pan-neurofilament positive axons (PanNF), synaptophysin-positive synapses (SYN) and increase in immunoreactivity for the microglial OX42 and astroglial GFAP markers. Axotomy induced no changes in NeuN-reactivity, modest decrease of MAP2 immunoreactivity, no changes in SYN and PanNF labelling, and a modest increase in OX42 and SYN labeling. Histological and radiological findings were congruent when assessing changes after axotomy, while MRI somewhat underestimated the shrinkage. This study indicates a potential diagnostic value of structural spinal cord MRI following BPI.

Anisotropic water diffusion in macroscopically oriented lipid bilayers studied by pulsed magnetic field gradient NMR.

The anisotropy, D(parallel)/D( perpendicular ), of water diffusion in fully hydrated bilayers of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine at 29 degrees C has been measured by pulsed magnetic field gradient (pfg) NMR. By using NMR imaging hardware to produce magnetic field gradients in an arbitrary direction with respect to a stack of macroscopically aligned lipid bilayers, translational diffusion of water was measured as a function of the angle between the direction of the magnetic field gradient and the normal of the lipid membrane. The observed diffusion coefficient is found to depend strongly on this angle. The anisotropy cannot be accurately determined due to the very small value of D( perpendicular ), but a lower limit of about 70 can be estimated from the observed diffusion coefficients. The results are discussed in terms of the relatively low permeability of water across the lipid bilayer, instrumental limitations, and/or possible defects in the lamellae.