Hassan Marzban1, Kamal Sahi1, Vimal Prajapati1, Mohammad Sabati2, James N. Scott3, Jeffrey F. Dunn4, Richard Hawkes1
1Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 2Department of Radiology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA; 3Dept of Diagnostic Imaging, Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 4of Radiology and Experimental Imaging Centre, University of Miami, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
This study demonstrates that the human cerebellum expresses the Purkinje cell antigen zebrin II. Two populations of Purkinje cells can be identified with high (P+) and low (P-) expression levels. MR imaging of the anterior cerebellum reveals a similar stripe array to that seen with anti-zebrin II immunocytochemistry. Although the underlying cellular mechanism for the image contrast remains to be determined, there is a positive correlation between the molecular target and the MR images. This unique application of MR may be very useful for studying cerebellar abnormalities during development and the progression of cerebellum-related neurological diseases.
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