Detecting dopaminergic neuronal degeneration using diffusion tensor imaging in a rotenone-induced rat model of Parkinson's disease: fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values

Assessing traffic-related air pollution-induced fiber-specific white matter degradation associated with motor performance declines in aged rats

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is thought to exacerbate Parkinson's disease (PD) in the elderly, and early detection of PD progression may prevent further irreversible damage. Therefore, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for probing microstructural changes after late-life chronic traffic-related PM2.5 exposure. Herein, 1.5-year-old Fischer 344 rats were exposed to clean air (control), high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-filtered ambient air (HEPA group), and ambient traffic-related PM2.5 (PM2.5 group, 9.933 ± 1.021 µg/m3) for 3 months. Rotarod test, DTI tractographic analysis, and immunohistochemistry were performed in the end of study period. Aged rats exposed to PM2.5 exhibited motor impairment with decreased fractional anisotropy and tyrosine hydroxylase expression in olfactory and nigrostriatal circuits, indicating disrupted white matter integrity and dopaminergic (DA) neuronal loss. Additionally, increased radial diffusivity and lower expression of myelin basic protein in PM2.5 group suggested ageing progression of demyelination exacerbated by PM2.5 exposure. Significant production of tumor necrosis factor-α was also observed after PM2.5 exposure, revealing potential inflammation of injury to multiple fiber tracts of DA pathways. Microstructural changes demonstrated potential links between PM2.5-induced inflammatory white matter demyelination and behavioral performance, with indication of pre-manifestation of DTI-based biomarkers for early detection of PD progression in the elderly.

Anesthetic modulation of water diffusion: Insights from a diffusion tensor imaging study

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in animal models are essential for translational neuroscience studies. A critical step in animal studies is the use of anesthetics. Understanding the influence of specific anesthesia regimes on DTI-derived parameters, such as fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), is imperative when comparing results between animal studies using different anesthetics. Here, the quantification of FA and MD under different anesthetic regimes, alpha-chloralose and isoflurane, is discussed. We also used a range of b-values to determine whether the anesthetic effect was b-value dependent. The first group of rats (n = 6) was anesthetized with alpha-chloralose (80 mg/kg), whereas the second group of rats (n = 7) was anesthetized with isoflurane (1.5%). DTI was performed with b-values of 500, 1500, and 1500s/mm2, and the MD and FA were assessed individually. Anesthesia-specific differences in MD were apparent, as manifested by the higher estimated MD under isoflurane anesthesia than that under alpha-chloralose anesthesia (P < 0.001). MD values increased with decreasing b-value in all regions studied, and the degree of increase when rats were anesthetized with isoflurane was more pronounced than that associated with alpha-chloralose (P < 0.05). FA quantitation was also influenced by anesthesia regimens to varying extents, depending on the brain regions and b-values. In conclusion, both scanning parameters and the anesthesia regimens significantly impacted the quantification of DTI indices.

Dual-Hit Model of Parkinson's Disease: Impact of Dysbiosis on 6-Hydroxydopamine-Insulted Mice-Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Butyrate

Recent evidence highlights Parkinson’s disease (PD) initiation in the gut as the prodromal phase of neurodegeneration. Gut impairment due to microbial dysbiosis could affect PD pathogenesis and progression. Here, we propose a two-hit model of PD through ceftriaxone (CFX)-induced dysbiosis and gut inflammation before the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) intrastriatal injection to mimic dysfunctional gut-associated mechanisms preceding PD onset. Therefore, we showed that dysbiosis and gut damage amplified PD progression, worsening motor deficits induced by 6-OHDA up to 14 days post intrastriatal injection. This effect was accompanied by a significant increase in neuronal dopaminergic loss (reduced tyrosine hydroxylase expression and increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio). Notably, CFX pretreatment also enhanced systemic and colon inflammation of dual-hit subjected mice. The exacerbated inflammatory response ran in tandem with a worsening of colonic architecture and gut microbiota perturbation. Finally, we demonstrated the beneficial effect of post-biotic sodium butyrate in limiting at once motor deficits, neuroinflammation, and colon damage and re-shaping microbiota composition in this novel dual-hit model of PD. Taken together, the bidirectional communication of the microbiota–gut–brain axis and the recapitulation of PD prodromal/pathogenic features make this new paradigm a useful tool for testing or repurposing new multi-target compounds in the treatment of PD.

Four-modality imaging of unmedicated subjects with schizophrenia: 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and 18F-fallypride PET, diffusion tensor imaging, and MRI

Diminished prefrontal function, dopaminergic abnormalities in the striatum and thalamus, reductions in white matter integrity and frontotemporal gray matter deficits are the most replicated findings in schizophrenia. We used four imaging modalities (¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose and ¹⁸F-fallypride PET, diffusion tensor imaging, structural MRI) in 19 healthy and 25 schizophrenia subjects to assess the relationship between functional (dopamine D₂/D₃ receptor binding potential, glucose metabolic rate) and structural (fractional anisotropy, MRI) correlates of schizophrenia and their additive diagnostic prediction potential. Multivariate ANOVA was used to compare structural and functional image sets for identification of schizophrenia. Integration of data from all four modalities yielded better predictive power than less inclusive combinations, specifically in the thalamus, left dorsolateral prefrontal and temporal regions. Among the modalities, fractional anisotropy showed highest discrimination in white matter whereas ¹⁸F-fallypride binding showed highest discrimination in gray matter. Structural and functional modalities displayed comparable discriminative power but different topography, with higher sensitivity of structural modalities in the left prefrontal region. Combination of functional and structural imaging modalities with inclusion of both gray and white matter appears most effective in diagnostic discrimination. The highest sensitivity of ¹⁸F-fallypride PET to gray matter changes in schizophrenia supports the primacy of dopaminergic abnormalities in its pathophysiology.

Dopamine receptor density and white mater integrity: 18F-fallypride positron emission tomography and diffusion tensor imaging study in healthy and schizophrenia subjects

Dopaminergic dysfunction and changes in white matter integrity are among the most replicated findings in schizophrenia. A modulating role of dopamine in myelin formation has been proposed in animal models and healthy human brain, but has not yet been systematically explored in schizophrenia. We used diffusion tensor imaging and ¹⁸F-fallypride positron emission tomography in 19 healthy and 25 schizophrenia subjects to assess the relationship between gray matter dopamine D₂/D₃ receptor density and white matter fractional anisotropy in each diagnostic group. AFNI regions of interest were acquired for 42 cortical Brodmann areas and subcortical gray matter structures as well as stereotaxically placed in representative white matter areas implicated in schizophrenia neuroimaging literature. Welch's t-test with permutation-based p value adjustment was used to compare means of z-transformed correlations between fractional anisotropy and ¹⁸F-fallypride binding potentials in hypothesis-driven regions of interest in the diagnostic groups. Healthy subjects displayed an extensive pattern of predominantly negative correlations between ¹⁸F-fallypride binding across a range of cortical and subcortical gray matter regions and fractional anisotropy in rostral white matter regions (internal capsule, frontal lobe, anterior corpus callosum). These patterns were disrupted in subjects with schizophrenia, who displayed significantly weaker overall correlations as well as comparatively scant numbers of significant correlations with the internal capsule and frontal (but not temporal) white matter, especially for dopamine receptor density in thalamic nuclei. Dopamine D₂/D₃ receptor density and white matter integrity appear to be interrelated, and their decreases in schizophrenia may stem from hyperdopaminergia with dysregulation of dopaminergic impact on axonal myelination.

Assessment of Neuroprotective Effects of Low-Intensity Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation in a Parkinson's Disease Rat Model by Fractional Anisotropy and Relaxation Time T2∗ Value

Background: Low-intensity transcranial ultrasound (LITUS) may have a therapeutic effect on Parkinson's disease (PD) patients to some extent. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and relaxation time T2^∗ that indicate the integrity of fiber tracts and iron concentrations in brain tissue have been used to evaluate the therapeutic effects of LITUS. Purpose: This study aims to use FA and T2^∗ values to evaluate the therapeutic effects of LITUS in a PD rat model. Materials and Methods: Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a hemi-PD group (n = 10) and a LITUS group (n = 10). Single-shot spin echo echo-planar imaging and fast low-angle shot T2WI sequences at 3.0 T were used. The FA and T2^∗ values on the right side of the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta were measured to evaluate the therapeutic effect of LITUS in the rats. Results: One week after PD-like signs were induced in the rats, the FA value in the LITUS group was significantly larger compared with the PD group (0.214 ± 0.027 vs. 0.340 ± 0.032, t = 2.864, P = 0.011). At the 5th and 6th weeks, the FA values in the LITUS group were significantly smaller compared with the PD group (5th week: 0.290 ± 0.037 vs. 0.405 ± 0.027, t = 2.385, P = 0.030; 6th week: 0.299 ± 0.021 vs. 0.525 ± 0.028, t = 6.620, P < 0.0001). In the 5th and 6th weeks, the T2^∗ values in the injected right SN of the LITUS group were significantly higher compared with the PD group (5th week, 12.169 ± 0.826 in the LITUS group vs. 7.550 ± 0.824 in the PD group; 6th week, 11.749 ± 0.615 in the LITUS group vs. 7.550 ± 0.849 in the PD group). Conclusion: LITUS had neuroprotective effects and can reduce the damage of 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity in hemi-PD rats. The combination of FA and T2^∗ assessments can potentially serve as a new and effective method to evaluate the therapeutic effects of LITUS.

Diffusion-weighted MRI in neurodegenerative and psychiatric animal models: Experimental strategies and main outcomes

Preclinical MRI approaches constitute a key tool to study a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric illnesses, allowing a more direct investigation of the disorder substrate and, at the same time, the possibility of back-translating such findings to human subjects. However, the lack of consensus on the optimal experimental scheme used to acquire the data has led to relatively high heterogeneity in the choice of protocols, which can potentially impact the comparison between results obtained by different groups, even using the same animal model. This is especially true for diffusion-weighted MRI data, where certain experimental choices can impact not only on the accuracy and precision of the extracted biomarkers, but also on their biological meaning. With this in mind, we extensively examined preclinical imaging studies that used diffusion-weighted MRI to investigate neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in rodent models. In this review, we discuss the main findings for each preclinical model, with a special focus on the analysis and comparison of the different acquisition strategies used across studies and their impact on the heterogeneity of the findings.

Earliest Mechanisms of Dopaminergic Neurons Sufferance in a Novel Slow Progressing Ex Vivo Model of Parkinson Disease in Rat Organotypic Cultures of Substantia Nigra

The current treatments of Parkinson disease (PD) are ineffective mainly due to the poor understanding of the early events causing the decline of dopaminergic neurons (DOPAn). To overcome this problem, slow progressively degenerating models of PD allowing the study of the pre-clinical phase are crucial. We recreated in a short ex vivo time scale (96 h) all the features of human PD (needing dozens of years) by challenging organotypic culture of rat substantia nigra with low doses of rotenone. Thus, taking advantage of the existent knowledge, the model was used to perform a time-dependent comparative study of the principal possible causative molecular mechanisms undergoing DOPAn demise. Alteration in the redox state and inflammation started at 3 h, preceding the reduction in DOPAn number (pre-diagnosis phase). The number of DOPAn declined to levels compatible with diagnosis only at 12 h. The decline was accompanied by a persistent inflammation and redox imbalance. Significant microglia activation, apoptosis, a reduction in dopamine vesicle transporters, and the ubiquitination of misfolded protein clearance pathways were late (96 h, consequential) events. The work suggests inflammation and redox imbalance as simultaneous early mechanisms undergoing DOPAn sufferance, to be targeted for a causative treatment aimed to stop/delay PD.

Impact of Parkinson's disease on the efficiency of masticatory cycles: Electromyographic analysis

Background

This study evaluated the efficiency of masticatory cycles by means of the linear envelope of the electromyographic signal of the masseter and temporalis muscles in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

Material and Methods

Twenty-four individuals were assigned into two groups: with Parkinson’s disease, average ± SD 66.1 ± 3.3 years (n = 12) and without the disease, average ± SD: 65.8 ± 3.0 years (n = 12). The MyoSystem-I P84 electromyograph was used to analyze the activity of masticatory cycles through the linear envelope integral in habitual mastication of peanuts and raisins and non-habitual mastication of Parafilm M®.

Results

There was statistically significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) between individuals with Parkinson’s disease and without the disease in non-habitual mastication of Parafilm M®, in the right temporal muscle (P = 0.01); habitual mastication of peanuts, in the right temporal muscle (P = 0.02), left temporal muscle (P = 0.03), and right masseter muscle (P = 0.01); and habitual mastication of raisins in the right temporal muscle (P = 0.001), left temporal muscle (P= 0.001), right masseter muscle (P= 0.001) and left masseter muscle (P= 0.03).

Conclusions

These results suggest that Parkinson’s disease interferes in the electromyographic activity of the masticatory cycles by reducing muscular efficiency.

Key words:Parkinson’s Disease, electromyography, masticatory efficiency, masseter muscle, temporal muscle.

Degree of dopaminergic degeneration measured by 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT/CT imaging

To prevent and treat Parkinson’s disease in its early stages, it is essential to be able to detect the degree of early dopaminergic neuron degeneration. Dopamine transporters (DAT) in the striatum regulate synaptic dopamine levels, and striatal ^99mTc-TRODAT-1 single-photon emission computed tomography (-SPECT) imaging is a marker for presynaptic neuronal degeneration. However, the association between the degree of dopaminergic degeneration and in vivo^99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT imaging is unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the association between the degree of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced dopaminergic degeneration and DAT imaging using ^99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT in rats. Different degrees of nigrostriatal dopamine depletion were generated by injecting different doses of 6-OHDA (2, 4, and 8 μg) into the right medial forebrain bundle. The degree of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuron degeneration was assessed by rotational behavior and immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that striatal ^99mTc-TRODAT-1 binding was significantly diminished both in the ipsilateral and the contralateral sides in the 4 and 8 μg 6-OHDA groups, and that DAT ^99mTc-TRODAT-1 binding in the ipsilateral striatum showed a high correlation to apomorphine-induced rotations at 8 weeks post-lesion (r = –0.887, P < 0.01). There were significant correlations between DAT ^99mTc-TRODAT-1 binding in the ipsilateral striatum and the amount of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons in the ipsilateral substantia nigra in the 2, 4, and 8 μg 6-OHDA groups at 8 weeks post-lesion (r = 0.899, P < 0.01). These findings indicate that striatal DAT imaging using ^99mTc-TRODAT-1 is a useful technique for evaluating the severity of dopaminergic degeneration.