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Abstract #2275

Cortical Atrophy in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Allan J. MacKenzie-Graham1, Gilda A. Rinek1, Stefan M. Gold2, Andrew J. Frew1, Cynthia Aguilar3, David R. Lin1, Elizabeth Umeda1, Rhonda R. Voskuhl1, Jeffry R. Alger1

1University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; 2Universitt Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; 3Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, United States


There are strong correlations between cortical atrophy observed by MRI and clinical disability in multiple sclerosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the progression of cortical atrophy over time in vivo in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Volumetric changes in the cerebral cortices of EAE mice were quantified by collecting in vivo MR images and morphometry. We observed that though atrophy progressed differently in each individual animal, all mice with EAE demonstrated significant cortical atrophy compared to normal controls. This is the first report of progressive cortical atrophy in vivo in a mouse model of MS.