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Abstract #2228

T1ρ MRI as a Marker of Neurofibrillary Tangles in a Mouse Model of Alzheimers Disease

Rachelle Berger1, Matthew Fenty2, Michiyo Iba3, Virginia M.-Y. Lee3, John A. Detre4, Ari Borthakur5

1Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 2CMROI, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 3CNDR, Department of Pathology & Lab Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; 4CfN, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; 5CMROI, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States


This study measures the efficacy of T1ρ as a biomarker for tau pathology in the PS19 transgenic (Tg) mouse model of Alzheimers Disease (AD). While previous work has utilized only amyloid models of AD pathology, this animal model provides tantalizing possibility for investigating hyperphosphorylated tau protein that leads to intracellular neurofibrillary tangles using MRI for the first time. A significant decrease in T1ρ relaxation time was measured in Tg mice brains relative to age-matched wild-type mice. The current study will generate crucial baseline values that can be assessed in this animal model in longitudinal studies that test novel therapeutic agents.