In this work we use in vivo MRS and diffusion-weighted MRS (DW MRS) on a model of astrocytic activation induced by the ciliary neutrophic factor (CNTF) in mice striatum. We observe a massive metabolic remodeling in CNTF mice in comparison with control mice. We demonstrate the intrinsic potential of DW MRS to detect alterations in cellular structure by measuring substantial variations in diffusion properties of astrocytic and neuronal metabolites. Modeling suggests significantly larger astrocytic processes, consistently with astrocytic hypertrophy as observed by microscopy in the context of activation.
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