Meeting Banner
Abstract #0646

Isotropic diffusional kurtosis as a marker of glial cell content and diversification during brain maturation

Naila Rahman1,2, Jake Hamilton1,2, Kathy Xu2, Arthur Brown2,3, and Corey Baron1,2
1Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, ON, Canada, 2Robarts Research Institute, London, ON, Canada, 3Anatomy and Cell Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada

Synopsis

Keywords: Microstructure, Diffusion/other diffusion imaging techniques, Brain Maturation, Tensor-valued diffusion MRI

Motivation: Healthy rodent brain maturation research remains limited, although rodents are a predominant study model, which motivates further study to exclude confounds of developmental changes from pathophysiological interpretations.

Goal(s): Our goals were to investigate how microstructural MRI metrics change over the course of brain maturation and disentangle what changes in these metrics may indicate on a neurobiological level.

Approach: 11 mice were scanned at 9.4T between 3-8 months of age, with histology (n=4) performed at 3 and 8 months.

Results: Total diffusional kurtosis and myelin-specific metrics showed significant increases over time, paired with increased isotropic kurtosis and increased histological oligodendrocyte and astrocyte content.

Impact: This work shows that there are ongoing microstructural changes even after mice are considered “adults”, detectable by isotropic kurtosis. We provide new interpretations of diffusion MRI changes during brain maturation, with evidence of the underlying mechanisms impacting isotropic kurtosis.

How to access this content:

For one year after publication, abstracts and videos are only open to registrants of this annual meeting. Registrants should use their existing login information. Non-registrant access can be purchased via the ISMRM E-Library.

After one year, current ISMRM & ISMRT members get free access to both the abstracts and videos. Non-members and non-registrants must purchase access via the ISMRM E-Library.

After two years, the meeting proceedings (abstracts) are opened to the public and require no login information. Videos remain behind password for access by members, registrants and E-Library customers.

Click here for more information on becoming a member.

Keywords