Visualization of mouse barrel cortex using ex-vivo track density imaging

We describe the visualization of the barrel cortex of the primary somatosensory area (S1) of ex vivo adult mouse brain with short-tracks track density imaging (stTDI). stTDI produced much higher definition of barrel structures than conventional fractional anisotropy (FA), directionally-encoded color FA maps, spin-echo and T2-weighted imaging and gradient echo Ti/T2*-weighted imaging. 3D high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) data were acquired at 48 micron isotropic resolution for a (3 mm)3 block of cortex containing the barrel field and reconstructed using stTDI at 10 micron isotropic resolution. HARDI data were also acquired at 100 micron isotropic resolution to image the whole brain and reconstructed using stTDI at 20 micron isotropic resolution. The 10 micron resolution stTDI maps showed exceptionally clear delineation of barrel structures. Individual barrels could also be distinguished in the 20 micron stTDI maps but the septa separating the individual barrels appeared thicker compared to the 10 micron maps, indicating that the ability of stTDI to produce high quality structural delineation is dependent upon acquisition resolution. Close homology was observed between the barrel structure delineated using stTDI and reconstructed histological data from the same samples. stTDI also detects barrel deletions in the posterior medial barrel sub-field in mice with infraorbital nerve cuts. The results demonstrate that stTDI is a novel imaging technique that enables three-dimensional characterization of complex structures such as the barrels in S1 and provides an important complementary non-invasive imaging tool for studying synaptic connectivity, development and plasticity of the sensory system. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Brain tissue compartment density estimated using diffusion-weighted MRI yields tissue parameters consistent with histology

We examined whether quantitative density measures of cerebral tissue consistent with histology can be obtained from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). By incorporating prior knowledge of myelin and cell membrane densities, absolute tissue density values were estimated from relative intracellular and intraneurite density values obtained from diffusion MRI. The NODDI (neurite orientation distribution and density imaging) technique, which can be applied clinically, was used. Myelin density estimates were compared with the results of electron and light microscopy in ex vivo mouse brain and with published density estimates in a healthy human brain. In ex vivo mouse brain, estimated myelin densities in different subregions of the mouse corpus callosum were almost identical to values obtained from electron microscopy (diffusion MRI: 42 +/- 6%, 36 +/- 4%, and 43 +/- 5%; electron microscopy: 41 +/- 10%, 36 +/- 8%, and 44 +/- 12% in genu, body and splenium, respectively). In the human brain, good agreement was observed between estimated fiber density measurements and previously reported values based on electron microscopy. Estimated density values were unaffected by crossing fibers. Hum Brain Mapp 36:3687-3702, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Disease-modifying effect of intravenous immunoglobulin in an experimental model of epilepsy

Novel therapies that prevent or modify the development of epilepsy following an initiating brain insult could significantly reduce the burden of this disease. In light of evidence that immune mechanisms play an important role in generating and maintaining the epileptic condition, we evaluated the effect of a well-established immunomodulatory treatment, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), on the development of epilepsy in an experimental model of epileptogenesis. In separate experiments, IVIg was administered either before (pre-treatment) or after (post-treatment) the onset of pilocarpine status epilepticus (SE). Our results show that both pre-and post-treatment with IVIg attenuated acute inflammation in the SE model. Specifically, IVIg reduced local activation of glial cells, complement system activation, and blood-brain barrier damage (BBB), which are all thought to play important roles in the development of epilepsy. Importantly, post-treatment with IVIg was also found to reduce the frequency and duration of subsequent spontaneous recurrent seizures as detected by chronic video-electroencephalographic (video-EEG) recordings. This finding supports a novel application for IVIg, specifically its repurposing as a disease-modifying therapy in epilepsy

Inhibition of histone deacetylase in utero causes sociability deficits in postnatal mice

Exposure to sodium valproate (VPA) in utero increases the risk of language impairment and a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mice exposed to VPA while in utero have also shown postnatal social deficits. Inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) is one of VPA's many biological effects. The main objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that HDAC inhibition causes these behavioral outcomes following prenatal VPA exposure in mice. We exposed embryonic mice to VPA, the HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA), or vehicle controls. TSA (1. mg/kg) inhibited HDAC in embryonic tissue at a level comparable to 600. mg/kg VPA, resulting in significant increases in histone H3 and H4 acetylation, and histone H3 lysine 4 tri-methylation. Postnatally, decreases in ultrasonic vocalization, olfactory motivation and sociability were observed in TSA and VPA-exposed pups. Treated mice exhibited elevated digging and grooming suggestive of mild restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Olfactory social preference, social novelty and habituation were normal. Together, these data indicate that embryonic HDAC inhibition alone can cause abnormal social behaviors in mice. This result serves as a molecular understanding of infant outcomes following mild VPA exposure in utero