Tammar Kushnir1, Shaye Kivity2,
Eli Konen1, David Manor1, Nancy Agmon-Levin2,
Miri Blank2, Joab Chapman3, Yehuda Shoenfeld2,
Galia Tsarfaty1
1Dept. of Diagnostic Imaging, MRI Unit,
The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; 2Center of
Autoimmune Diseases, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; 3Dept.
of neurology, Sagol Neuroscience Center, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel
Hashomer, Israel
Manganese
enhanced MRI (MEMRI) allows in-vivo mapping of functional neuronal
connections in the brain. The method was used to investigate the olfactory
system in mice with experimental neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE), induced by
intra-cerebro-ventricular injection of anti-ribosomal-P antibodies. MEMRI
scans were performed before and 40 hours after intranasal MnCl2
administration. NPSLE induction resulted in a depression-like behavior
accompanied with a significant deficit in olfactory function. MEMRI demonstrated
impaired olfactory neuronal function expressed as a significant reduction in
normalized manganese enhancement and flow throughout of the olfactory
pathway, compared to healthy mice. Our results propose that autoimmune-CNS
conditions may influence olfactory function.