Abstract #1280

MEMRI Detects Axonal Degeneration Earlier Then DTI

Shu-Wei Sun^1,2

¹Biomedical Engineering, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA; ²Non-Invasive Imaging Lab, Radiation Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA

DTI and MEMRI are widely used imaging modalities to study neuronal fiber tracts in the central nervous system. In this study, the sensitivity of DTI and MEMRI were compared in detecting axonal damage in optic nerves after retinal ischemia. Our data show that while optic nerves appeared normal on DTI index maps in 2 days after retinal ischemia, MEMRI was able to detect axonal transport deficits. Our data suggested that MEMRI can provide information about neuronal functionality and may serve as a sensitive imaging marker to detect axonal damage earlier than other imaging modalities.