Manganese-Enhanced MRI and 1H MR Spectroscopy of the Hypothalamus in a Model of Dehydration Induced Anorexic Rats

Nathalie Just^1,2, Rolf Gruetter^1,2

The hypothalamus is responsible for metabolic processes of the Autonomic Nervous System. The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus is responsible for the control of food intake. The use of manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) to assess the neuronal circuitry involved in both autonomic and somatosensory pathways showed promises. In the present study, hypothalamic activation was performed by dehydration induced anorexia(DIA) in female rats. Enhancement of paraventricular nuclei following manganese injection coupled to metabolite concentration changes measured by 1H MR spectroscopy at 14.1T in DIA rats suggest that neuronal and metabolic analysis of the hypothalamus during activation are possible using MR methods.