Magnetic resonance imaging of experimental demyelinating lesions

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Abstract
An animal model of central nervous system demyelination was created by injecting rat internal capsules with lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). The resulting chemically induced demyelinating lesions were readily visible in T1 -weighted spin-echo, T2 weighted spin-echo, and inversion-recovery magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences. Changes in lesions were followed over 8 weeks and correlated with histopathology. Histologically, lesions were characterized initially by an acute, inflammatory phase with edema and blood-brain barrier breakdown, followed by macrophage-mediated removal of myelin debris and finally by remyelination after 3 to 4 weeks. MRI can differentiate lesion stages in the LPC model and may be useful in investigating mechanistic aspects of the demyelinating process. In addition the well-localized lesions may be amenable to study by techniques of volume-localized NMR Spectroscopy. © 1990 Academic Press, Inc.