The characterization of a mouse model of transient stroke using ex vivo MR microscopy and in vivo MR imaging

Disrupted blood-brain barrier after an ischemic attack can cause vasogenic edema and increase the risk of hemorrhagic transformation. Therefore, early detection and monitoring of BBB damage is important in the pathological understanding and therapeutic treatment of stroke. Currently, MR contrast agents have been widely used in clinics for disease diagnosis and treatment evaluation, and in basic research to achieve better anatomical structure visualization and to understand pathological mechanisms of various human diseases in animal models. Thus, the central theme of this thesis to exploit the use of MR contrast agents in the study of ischemic stroke using both in vivo and ex vivo MR techniques. Specifically, the overall goals of this thesis are twofold: (1) to exploit the multiple relaxation mechanisms and varying tissue-dependent affinities of different MR contrast agents for better structure delineation, tissue differentiation, and image contrast manipulation in magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) staining, and (2) to develop an MRI technique that employs intrinsic water as a biomarker for qualitative and quantitative monitoring of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity alteration in a mouse model of stroke using an intravascular long-circulating MRI contrast agent. Despite the great success of MRM in anatomical studies, MRM images based on intrinsic tissue contrast lack the flexibility and target-specificity offered by conventional histological staining. Therefore, the first focus of this thesis was on the development of MRM staining method by utilizing the different tissue relaxation ability and tissue biophysical/biochemical properties of different MR contrast agents. Two common MR contrast agents, Gd-DTPA and MnCl2 were used in this thesis. The ability of MR contrast agents to increase SNR and enhance image contrast was first tested in a relatively simple in vitro glioma spheroid (diameter ' 400 um) system.

Department dc:contributor.department

Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Huang, Shuning, Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Bruce R. Rosen.

• Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/47853

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/47853