Abstract #1067

Diffusion Tensor Imaging of ALS-PDC at 21.1 T: in Utero Vs ex Utero Exposure

Timothy Michael Gould^1,2, Jens Throvald Rosenberg^1,2, Ihssan Sabri Masad^1,2, Yemi Banjo³, Christopher A. Shaw^3,4, Samuel Colles Grant^1,2

¹Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA; ²National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL, USA; ³Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; ⁴Ophthalmology, Physiology, and Experimental Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

A variant environmental form of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) pathology called ALS-Parkinsonian Dementia Complex (ALS-PDC or Guamanian ALS) is introduced by administration of purified sterol β-D-glucoside (BSSG) in utero and ex utero. Excised brain and spinal cord specimens were analyzed by DTI at 21.1-T to generate fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and volumetric tractography data. Our analysis shows that ex utero administration exhibits significantly high ADC in the spinal cord white matter tracts and substantia nigra. These findings suggest that higher-grade ALS-PDC neuropathogenesis will result if individuals are exposed to BSSG after birth.