Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

1-2016

Publisher

Wiley

Source Publication

Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Source ISSN

1053-1807

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1002/jmri.24964

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine whether DTI changes in the brain induced by a thoracic spinal cord injury are sensitive to varying severity of spinal contusion in rats.

Methods: A control, mild, moderate, or severe contusion injury was administered over the eighth thoracic vertebral level in 32 Sprague-Dawley rats. At 11 weeks postinjury, ex vivo DTI of the brain was performed on a 9.4T Bruker scanner using a pulsed gradient spin-echo sequence.

Results: Mean water diffusion in the internal capsule regions of the brain and pyramid locations of the brainstem were correlated with motor function (r2 = 0.55). Additionally, there were significant differences between injury severity groups for mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy at regions associated with the corticospinal tract (P = 0.05).

Conclusion: These results indicate that DTI is sensitive to changes in brain tissue as a consequence of thoracic SCI.

Comments

Accepted version. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Vol. 43, No. 1 (January 2016): 63-74. DOI.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: "Severity of Spinal Cord Injury Influences Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Brain." Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Vol. 43, No. 1 (January 2016): 63-74., which has been published in final form at DOI. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving'.

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