Abstract #0889

Differences in the Evolution of Ouabain-Induced Stroke between Immunocompetent and Immunodeficient Mice as Detected by T2-Weighted MRI

Agatha Lyczek¹,², Miroslaw Janowski¹,², Jinyuan Zhou¹,³, Jiadi Xu¹,⁴, Peter PC van Zijl¹,⁴, Jeff WM Bulte¹,², Piotr Walczak¹,²

¹Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; ²Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; ³F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute , Baltimore, MD, United States; ⁴F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States

It is believed that leukocyte trafficking into the central nervous system contributes substantially to secondary brain damage, exacerbating the follow-up effects of ischemia. Characterizing stroke lesions in immunocompetent (balb/c) versus immunodeficient (rag2-/-) mice may provide an important insight into neuroinflammation in stroke. We characterized, with MRI, the evolution of ouabain-induced stroke in balb/c and rag2-/- mice, and we demonstrate that, although all mice developed similar acute lesions, immunodeficient mice dramatically improved by day five, while continued deterioration was observed in immunocompetent animals.