Abstract #0921

Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI to Detect Vascular Injury in a Rat Model of Traumatic Brain Injury

Matthew D. Budde¹, L. Christine Turtzo², Eric Gold², Lindsay Janes³, Bobbi Lewis³, Joseph A. Frank,²³

¹Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States; ²Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States; ³Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States

We sought to investigate whether dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI could be used to monitor BBB disruption in a rat model of TBI and whether interferon beta-1b, a drug that stabilizes the blood brain barrier (BBB) and has anti-inflammatory properties, would be effective. Although the BBB was severely disrupted between 30 minutes and 7 days following injury, it did not correlate with outcome, nor did interferon beta-1b affect alter disease course. DCE effectively monitors vascular injury following TBI, but significant challenges remain in modulating the injury.