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Vasilkovska T, Salajeghe S, Vanreusel V, Van Audekerke J, Verschuuren M, Hirschler L, Warnking J, Pintelon I, Pustina D, Cachope R, Mrzljak L, Muñoz-Sanjuan I, Barbier EL, De Vos WH, Van der Linden A, Verhoye M. Longitudinal alterations in brain perfusion and vascular reactivity in the zQ175DN mouse model of Huntington's disease. J Biomed Sci 2024; 31:37. [PMID: 38627751 PMCID: PMC11022401 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-024-01028-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) is marked by a CAG-repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene that causes neuronal dysfunction and loss, affecting mainly the striatum and the cortex. Alterations in the neurovascular coupling system have been shown to lead to dysregulated energy supply to brain regions in several neurological diseases, including HD, which could potentially trigger the process of neurodegeneration. In particular, it has been observed in cross-sectional human HD studies that vascular alterations are associated to impaired cerebral blood flow (CBF). To assess whether whole-brain changes in CBF are present and follow a pattern of progression, we investigated both resting-state brain perfusion and vascular reactivity longitudinally in the zQ175DN mouse model of HD. METHODS Using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling (pCASL) MRI in the zQ175DN model of HD and age-matched wild-type (WT) mice, we assessed whole-brain, resting-state perfusion at 3, 6 and 9 and 13 months of age, and assessed hypercapnia-induced cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), at 4.5, 6, 9 and 15 months of age. RESULTS We found increased perfusion in cortical regions of zQ175DN HET mice at 3 months of age, and a reduction of this anomaly at 6 and 9 months, ages at which behavioural deficits have been reported. On the other hand, under hypercapnia, CBF was reduced in zQ175DN HET mice as compared to the WT: for multiple brain regions at 6 months of age, for only somatosensory and retrosplenial cortices at 9 months of age, and brain-wide by 15 months. CVR impairments in cortical regions, the thalamus and globus pallidus were observed in zQ175DN HET mice at 9 months, with whole brain reactivity diminished at 15 months of age. Interestingly, blood vessel density was increased in the motor cortex at 3 months, while average vessel length was reduced in the lateral portion of the caudate putamen at 6 months of age. CONCLUSION Our findings reveal early cortical resting-state hyperperfusion and impaired CVR at ages that present motor anomalies in this HD model, suggesting that further characterization of brain perfusion alterations in animal models is warranted as a potential therapeutic target in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Vasilkovska
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium.
- µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Somaie Salajeghe
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Verdi Vanreusel
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
- µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marlies Verschuuren
- µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
- Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lydiane Hirschler
- C.J. Gorter MRI Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jan Warnking
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Isabel Pintelon
- µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
- Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Dorian Pustina
- CHDI Management, Inc., the company that manages the scientific activities of CHDI Foundation, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Roger Cachope
- CHDI Management, Inc., the company that manages the scientific activities of CHDI Foundation, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Ladislav Mrzljak
- CHDI Management, Inc., the company that manages the scientific activities of CHDI Foundation, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Present Address: Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ignacio Muñoz-Sanjuan
- CHDI Management, Inc., the company that manages the scientific activities of CHDI Foundation, Inc, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Present Address: Cajal Neuroscience Inc, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Emmanuel L Barbier
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Winnok H De Vos
- µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
- Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
- µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
- µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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Vidas-Guscic N, van Rijswijk J, Van Audekerke J, Jeurissen B, Nnah I, Tang H, Muñoz-Sanjuan I, Pustina D, Cachope R, Van der Linden A, Bertoglio D, Verhoye M. Diffusion MRI marks progressive alterations in fiber integrity in the zQ175DN mouse model of Huntington's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2024; 193:106438. [PMID: 38365045 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2024.106438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting motor and cognitive abilities. Multiple studies have found white matter anomalies in HD-affected humans and animal models of HD. The identification of sensitive white-matter-based biomarkers in HD animal models will be important in understanding disease mechanisms and testing the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Here we investigated the progression of white matter deficits in the knock-in zQ175DN heterozygous (HET) mouse model of HD at 3, 6 and 11 months of age (M), reflecting different states of phenotypic progression. We compared findings from traditional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and advanced fixel-based analysis (FBA) diffusion metrics for their sensitivity in detecting white matter anomalies in the striatum, motor cortex, and segments of the corpus callosum. FBA metrics revealed progressive and widespread reductions of fiber cross-section and fiber density in myelinated bundles of HET mice. The corpus callosum genu was the most affected structure in HET mice at 6 and 11 M based on the DTI and FBA metrics, while the striatum showed the earliest progressive differences starting at 3 M based on the FBA metrics. Overall, FBA metrics detected earlier and more prominent alterations in myelinated fiber bundles compared to the DTI metrics. Luxol fast blue staining showed no loss in myelin density, indicating that diffusion anomalies could not be explained by myelin reduction but diffusion anomalies in HET mice were accompanied by increased levels of neurofilament light chain protein at 11 M. Altogether, our findings reveal progressive alterations in myelinated fiber bundles that can be measured using diffusion MRI, representing a candidate noninvasive imaging biomarker to study phenotype progression and the efficacy of therapeutic interventions in zQ175DN mice. Moreover, our study exposed higher sensitivity of FBA than DTI metrics, suggesting a potential benefit of adopting these advanced metrics in other contexts, including biomarker development in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Vidas-Guscic
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; μNeuro Center for Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Joëlle van Rijswijk
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; μNeuro Center for Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; μNeuro Center for Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ben Jeurissen
- μNeuro Center for Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Lab for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Israel Nnah
- Charles River Laboratories, Shrewsbury, MA, United states
| | - Haiying Tang
- CHDI Management, Inc., the company that manages the scientific activities of CHDI Foundation, Inc., Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Ignacio Muñoz-Sanjuan
- CHDI Management, Inc., the company that manages the scientific activities of CHDI Foundation, Inc., Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Dorian Pustina
- CHDI Management, Inc., the company that manages the scientific activities of CHDI Foundation, Inc., Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Roger Cachope
- CHDI Management, Inc., the company that manages the scientific activities of CHDI Foundation, Inc., Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; μNeuro Center for Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Daniele Bertoglio
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; μNeuro Center for Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; μNeuro Center for Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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Vasilkovska T, Adhikari M, Van Audekerke J, Salajeghe S, Pustina D, Cachope R, Tang H, Liu L, Munoz-Sanjuan I, Van der Linden A, Verhoye M. Resting-state fMRI reveals longitudinal alterations in brain network connectivity in the zQ175DN mouse model of Huntington's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 181:106095. [PMID: 36963694 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is an autosomal, dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by an expansion of the CAG repeats in exon 1 of the huntingtin gene. Neuronal degeneration and dysfunction that precedes regional atrophy result in the impairment of striatal and cortical circuits that affect the brain's large-scale network functionality. However, the evolution of these disease-driven, large-scale connectivity alterations is still poorly understood. Here we used resting-state fMRI to investigate functional connectivity changes in a mouse model of Huntington's disease in several relevant brain networks and how they are affected at different ages that follow a disease-like phenotypic progression. Towards this, we used the heterozygous (HET) form of the zQ175DN Huntington's disease mouse model that recapitulates aspects of human disease pathology. Seed- and Region-based analyses were performed at different ages, on 3-, 6-, 10-, and 12-month-old HET and age-matched wild-type mice. Our results demonstrate decreased connectivity starting at 6 months of age, most prominently in regions such as the retrosplenial and cingulate cortices, pertaining to the default mode-like network and auditory and visual cortices, part of the associative cortical network. At 12 months, we observe a shift towards decreased connectivity in regions such as the somatosensory cortices, pertaining to the lateral cortical network, and the caudate putamen, a constituent of the subcortical network. Moreover, we assessed the impact of distinct Huntington's Disease-like pathology of the zQ175DN HET mice on age-dependent connectivity between different brain regions and networks where we demonstrate that connectivity strength follows a nonlinear, inverted U-shape pattern, a well-known phenomenon of development and normal aging. Conversely, the neuropathologically driven alteration of connectivity, especially in the default mode and associative cortical networks, showed diminished age-dependent evolution of functional connectivity. These findings reveal that in this Huntington's disease model, altered connectivity starts with cortical network aberrations which precede striatal connectivity changes, that appear only at a later age. Taken together, these results suggest that the age-dependent cortical network dysfunction seen in rodents could represent a relevant pathological process in Huntington's disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Vasilkovska
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium; μNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Mohit Adhikari
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium; μNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium; μNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Somaie Salajeghe
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | | | - Haiying Tang
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Longbin Liu
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium; μNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium; μNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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van den Berg M, Adhikari MH, Verschuuren M, Pintelon I, Vasilkovska T, Van Audekerke J, Missault S, Heymans L, Ponsaerts P, De Vos WH, Van der Linden A, Keliris GA, Verhoye M. Altered basal forebrain function during whole-brain network activity at pre- and early-plaque stages of Alzheimer's disease in TgF344-AD rats. Alzheimers Res Ther 2022; 14:148. [PMID: 36217211 PMCID: PMC9549630 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-022-01089-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Imbalanced synaptic transmission appears to be an early driver in Alzheimer's disease (AD) leading to brain network alterations. Early detection of altered synaptic transmission and insight into mechanisms causing early synaptic alterations would be valuable treatment strategies. This study aimed to investigate how whole-brain networks are influenced at pre- and early-plague stages of AD and if these manifestations are associated with concomitant cellular and synaptic deficits. METHODS: To this end, we used an established AD rat model (TgF344-AD) and employed resting state functional MRI and quasi-periodic pattern (QPP) analysis, a method to detect recurrent spatiotemporal motifs of brain activity, in parallel with state-of-the-art immunohistochemistry in selected brain regions. RESULTS At the pre-plaque stage, QPPs in TgF344-AD rats showed decreased activity of the basal forebrain (BFB) and the default mode-like network. Histological analyses revealed increased astrocyte abundance restricted to the BFB, in the absence of amyloid plaques, tauopathy, and alterations in a number of cholinergic, gaba-ergic, and glutamatergic synapses. During the early-plaque stage, when mild amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation was observed in the cortex and hippocampus, QPPs in the TgF344-AD rats normalized suggesting the activation of compensatory mechanisms during this early disease progression period. Interestingly, astrogliosis observed in the BFB at the pre-plaque stage was absent at the early-plaque stage. Moreover, altered excitatory/inhibitory balance was observed in cortical regions belonging to the default mode-like network. In wild-type rats, at both time points, peak activity in the BFB preceded peak activity in other brain regions-indicating its modulatory role during QPPs. However, this pattern was eliminated in TgF344-AD suggesting that alterations in BFB-directed neuromodulation have a pronounced impact in network function in AD. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the value of rsfMRI and advanced network analysis methods to detect early alterations in BFB function in AD, which could aid early diagnosis and intervention in AD. Restoring the global synaptic transmission, possibly by modulating astrogliosis in the BFB, might be a promising therapeutic strategy to restore brain network function and delay the onset of symptoms in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica van den Berg
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Mohit H. Adhikari
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marlies Verschuuren
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Isabel Pintelon
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Tamara Vasilkovska
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Stephan Missault
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Loran Heymans
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Ponsaerts
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Winnok H. De Vos
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Laboratory of Cell Biology and Histology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Georgios A. Keliris
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.511960.aInstitute of Computer Science, Foundation for Research & Technology - Hellas, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681µNEURO Research Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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Shafieizargar B, Jeurissen B, Poot DHJ, Klein S, Van Audekerke J, Verhoye M, den Dekker AJ, Sijbers J. ADEPT: Accurate Diffusion Echo‐Planar imaging with multi‐contrast shoTs. Magn Reson Med 2022; 89:396-410. [DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Banafshe Shafieizargar
- imec‐Vision Lab, Department of Physics University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
- NEURO Research Centre of Excellence University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
| | - Ben Jeurissen
- imec‐Vision Lab, Department of Physics University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
- NEURO Research Centre of Excellence University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
| | - Dirk H. J. Poot
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Biomedical Imaging Group Rotterdam Erasmus MC Rotterdam The Netherlands
| | - Stefan Klein
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Biomedical Imaging Group Rotterdam Erasmus MC Rotterdam The Netherlands
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- NEURO Research Centre of Excellence University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
- Bio‐Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- NEURO Research Centre of Excellence University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
- Bio‐Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
| | - Arnold J. den Dekker
- imec‐Vision Lab, Department of Physics University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
- NEURO Research Centre of Excellence University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
| | - Jan Sijbers
- imec‐Vision Lab, Department of Physics University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
- NEURO Research Centre of Excellence University of Antwerp Antwerp Belgium
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Kara F, Belloy ME, Voncken R, Sarwari Z, Garima Y, Anckaerts C, Langbeen A, Leysen V, Shah D, Jacobs J, Hamaide J, Bols P, Van Audekerke J, Daans J, Guglielmetti C, Kantarci K, Prevot V, Roßner S, Ponsaerts P, Van der Linden A, Verhoye M. Long-term ovarian hormone deprivation alters functional connectivity, brain neurochemical profile and white matter integrity in the Tg2576 amyloid mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2021; 102:139-150. [PMID: 33765427 PMCID: PMC8312737 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Premenopausal bilateral ovariectomy is considered to be one of the risk factors of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate long-term neurological consequences of ovariectomy in a rodent AD model, TG2576 (TG), and wild-type mice (WT) that underwent an ovariectomy or sham-operation, using in vivo MRI biomarkers. An increase in osmoregulation and energy metabolism biomarkers in the hypothalamus, a decrease in white matter integrity, and a decrease in the resting-state functional connectivity was observed in ovariectomized TG mice compared to sham-operated TG mice. In addition, we observed an increase in functional connectivity in ovariectomized WT mice compared to sham-operated WT mice. Furthermore, genotype (TG vs. WT) effects on imaging markers and GFAP immunoreactivity levels were observed, but there was no effect of interaction (Genotype × Surgery) on amyloid-beta-and GFAP immunoreactivity levels. Taken together, our results indicated that both genotype and ovariectomy alters imaging biomarkers associated with AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Firat Kara
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Michael E Belloy
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rick Voncken
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Zahra Sarwari
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Yadav Garima
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Cynthia Anckaerts
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - An Langbeen
- Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Valerie Leysen
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neurosciences and Cognition, UMR-S1172, DistalZ, Lille, France
| | - Disha Shah
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jules Jacobs
- University of Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Julie Hamaide
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Bols
- Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jasmijn Daans
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Kejal Kantarci
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Vincent Prevot
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neurosciences and Cognition, UMR-S1172, DistalZ, Lille, France
| | - Steffen Roßner
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter Ponsaerts
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-imaging Lab- Member of INMIND consortium, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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Kara F, Belloy ME, Voncken R, Sarwari Z, Yadav G, Anckaerts C, Langbeen A, Leysen V, Shah D, Jacobs J, Hamaide J, Bols P, Van Audekerke J, Daans J, Guglielmetti C, Kantarci K, Prevot V, Rossner S, Ponsaerts P, Van Der Linden A, Verhoye M. Long‐term deprivation of ovarian hormones via ovariectomy alters functional connectivity, brain neurochemistry and white matter integrity in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/alz.037354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Valérie Leysen
- National Institute of Health and Medical Research Lille France
| | - Disha Shah
- Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie Leuven Belgium
| | - Jules Jacobs
- Delft University of Technology Delft Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Vincent Prevot
- National Institute of Health and Medical Research Lille France
| | - Steffen Rossner
- Paul‐Flechsig Institute for Brain Research University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany
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8
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Belloy ME, Billings J, Abbas A, Kashyap A, Pan WJ, Hinz R, Vanreusel V, Van Audekerke J, Van der Linden A, Keilholz SD, Verhoye M, Keliris GA. Resting Brain Fluctuations Are Intrinsically Coupled to Visual Response Dynamics. Cereb Cortex 2020; 31:1511-1522. [PMID: 33108464 PMCID: PMC7869084 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
How do intrinsic brain dynamics interact with processing of external sensory stimuli? We sought new insights using functional magnetic resonance imaging to track spatiotemporal activity patterns at the whole brain level in lightly anesthetized mice, during both resting conditions and visual stimulation trials. Our results provide evidence that quasiperiodic patterns (QPPs) are the most prominent component of mouse resting brain dynamics. These QPPs captured the temporal alignment of anticorrelation between the default mode (DMN)- and task-positive (TPN)-like networks, with global brain fluctuations, and activity in neuromodulatory nuclei of the reticular formation. Specifically, the phase of QPPs prior to stimulation could significantly stratify subsequent visual response magnitude, suggesting QPPs relate to brain state fluctuations. This is the first observation in mice that dynamics of the DMN- and TPN-like networks, and particularly their anticorrelation, capture a brain state dynamic that affects sensory processing. Interestingly, QPPs also displayed transient onset response properties during visual stimulation, which covaried with deactivations in the reticular formation. We conclude that QPPs appear to capture a brain state fluctuation that may be orchestrated through neuromodulation. Our findings provide new frontiers to understand the neural processes that shape functional brain states and modulate sensory input processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaël E Belloy
- Department of Pharmaceutical, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Jacob Billings
- Department of Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Anzar Abbas
- Department of Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Amrit Kashyap
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Wen-Ju Pan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Rukun Hinz
- Department of Pharmaceutical, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Verdi Vanreusel
- Department of Pharmaceutical, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- Department of Pharmaceutical, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Department of Pharmaceutical, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Shella D Keilholz
- Department of Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Department of Pharmaceutical, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Georgios A Keliris
- Department of Pharmaceutical, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
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9
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Naeyaert M, Aelterman J, Van Audekerke J, Golkov V, Cremers D, Pižurica A, Sijbers J, Verhoye M. Accelerating in vivo fast spin echo high angular resolution diffusion imaging with an isotropic resolution in mice through compressed sensing. Magn Reson Med 2020; 85:1397-1413. [PMID: 33009866 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 08/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Echo planar imaging (EPI) is commonly used to acquire the many volumes needed for high angular resolution diffusion Imaging (HARDI), posing a higher risk for artifacts, such as distortion and deformation. An alternative to EPI is fast spin echo (FSE) imaging, which has fewer artifacts but is inherently slower. The aim is to accelerate FSE such that a HARDI data set can be acquired in a time comparable to EPI using compressed sensing. METHODS Compressed sensing was applied in either q-space or simultaneously in k-space and q-space, by undersampling the k-space in the phase-encoding direction or retrospectively eliminating diffusion directions for different degrees of undersampling. To test the replicability of the acquisition and reconstruction, brain data were acquired from six mice, and a numerical phantom experiment was performed. All HARDI data were analyzed individually using constrained spherical deconvolution, and the apparent fiber density and complexity metric were evaluated, together with whole-brain tractography. RESULTS The apparent fiber density and complexity metric showed relatively minor differences when only q-space undersampling was used, but deteriorate when k-space undersampling was applied. Likewise, the tract density weighted image showed good results when only q-space undersampling was applied using 15 directions or more, but information was lost when fewer volumes or k-space undersampling were used. CONCLUSION It was found that acquiring 15 to 20 diffusion directions with a full k-space and reconstructed using compressed sensing could suffice for a replicable measurement of quantitative measures in mice, where areas near the sinuses and ear cavities are untainted by signal loss.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jan Aelterman
- Imec-IPI, Department of Telecommunications and Information Processing, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Vladimir Golkov
- Department of Computer Science, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Daniel Cremers
- Department of Computer Science, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Aleksandra Pižurica
- Imec-IPI, Department of Telecommunications and Information Processing, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Sijbers
- Imec-Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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10
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Derdelinckx J, Mansilla MJ, De Laere M, Lee WP, Navarro-Barriuso J, Wens I, Nkansah I, Daans J, De Reu H, Jolanta Keliris A, Van Audekerke J, Vanreusel V, Pieters Z, Van der Linden A, Verhoye M, Molenberghs G, Hens N, Goossens H, Willekens B, Cras P, Ponsaerts P, Berneman ZN, Martínez-Cáceres EM, Cools N. Clinical and immunological control of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by tolerogenic dendritic cells loaded with MOG-encoding mRNA. J Neuroinflammation 2019; 16:167. [PMID: 31416452 PMCID: PMC6696692 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-019-1541-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Although effective in reducing relapse rate and delaying progression, current therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) do not completely halt disease progression. T cell autoimmunity to myelin antigens is considered one of the main mechanisms driving MS. It is characterized by autoreactivity to disease-initiating myelin antigen epitope(s), followed by a cascade of epitope spreading, which are both strongly patient-dependent. Targeting a variety of MS-associated antigens by myelin antigen-presenting tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDC) is a promising treatment strategy to re-establish tolerance in MS. Electroporation with mRNA encoding myelin proteins is an innovative technique to load tolDC with the full spectrum of naturally processed myelin-derived epitopes. Methods In this study, we generated murine tolDC presenting myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) using mRNA electroporation and we assessed the efficacy of MOG mRNA-electroporated tolDC to dampen pathogenic T cell responses in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). For this, MOG35–55-immunized C57BL/6 mice were injected intravenously at days 13, 17, and 21 post-disease induction with 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-treated tolDC electroporated with MOG-encoding mRNA. Mice were scored daily for signs of paralysis. At day 25, myelin reactivity was evaluated following restimulation of splenocytes with myelin-derived epitopes. Ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to assess spinal cord inflammatory lesion load. Results Treatment of MOG35–55-immunized C57BL/6 mice with MOG mRNA-electroporated or MOG35–55-pulsed tolDC led to a stabilization of the EAE clinical score from the first administration onwards, whereas it worsened in mice treated with non-antigen-loaded tolDC or with vehicle only. In addition, MOG35–55-specific pro-inflammatory pathogenic T cell responses and myelin antigen epitope spreading were inhibited in the peripheral immune system of tolDC-treated mice. Finally, magnetic resonance imaging analysis of hyperintense spots along the spinal cord was in line with the clinical score. Conclusions Electroporation with mRNA is an efficient and versatile tool to generate myelin-presenting tolDC that are capable to stabilize the clinical score in EAE. These results pave the way for further research into mRNA-electroporated tolDC treatment as a patient-tailored therapy for MS. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12974-019-1541-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Derdelinckx
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium. .,Division of Neurology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.
| | - María José Mansilla
- Division of Immunology, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital and Research Institute, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain.,Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Maxime De Laere
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Wai-Ping Lee
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium.,Center for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Juan Navarro-Barriuso
- Division of Immunology, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital and Research Institute, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain.,Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Inez Wens
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Irene Nkansah
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Jasmijn Daans
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Hans De Reu
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Zoë Pieters
- Center for Statistics, I-Biostat, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Centre for Health Economics Research and Modelling Infectious Diseases (CHERMID), Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | | | - Geert Molenberghs
- Center for Statistics, I-Biostat, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,L-BioStat, I-BioStat, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Niel Hens
- Center for Statistics, I-Biostat, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Centre for Health Economics Research and Modelling Infectious Diseases (CHERMID), Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (Vaxinfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Herman Goossens
- Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Barbara Willekens
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium.,Division of Neurology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Patrick Cras
- Division of Neurology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.,Born Bunge Institute, Translational Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Ponsaerts
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Zwi N Berneman
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium.,Center for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Eva María Martínez-Cáceres
- Division of Immunology, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital and Research Institute, Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain.,Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Nathalie Cools
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VaxInfectio), University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium.,Center for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
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11
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Hamaide J, De Groof G, Van Ruijssevelt L, Lukacova K, Van Audekerke J, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A. Volumetric development of the zebra finch brain throughout the first 200 days of post-hatch life traced by in vivo MRI. Neuroimage 2018; 183:227-238. [PMID: 30107257 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The first months of life are characterized by massive neuroplastic processes that parallel the acquisition of skills and abilities vital for proper functioning in later life. Likewise, juvenile songbirds learn the song sung by their tutor during the first months after hatching. To date, most studies targeting brain development in songbirds exclusively focus on the song control and auditory pathways. To gain a comprehensive insight into structural developmental plasticity of the entire zebra finch brain throughout the different subphases of song learning, we designed a longitudinal study in a group of male (16) and female (19) zebra finches. We collected T2-weighted 3-dimensional anatomical scans at six developmental milestones throughout the process of song learning, i.e. 20, 30, 40, 65, 90 and 120 days post hatching (dph), and one additional time point well after song crystallization, i.e. 200 dph. We observed that the total brain volume initially increases, peaks around 30-40 dph and decreases towards the end of the study. Further, we performed brain-wide voxel-based volumetric analyses to create spatio-temporal maps indicating when specific brain areas increase or decrease in volume, relative to the subphases of song learning. These maps informed (1) that most areas implicated in song control change early, i.e. between 20 and 65 dph, and are embedded in large clusters that cover major subdivisions of the zebra finch brain, (2) that volume changes between consecutive subphases of vocal learning appear highly similar in males and females, and (3) that only more rostrally situated brain regions change in volume towards later ages. Lastly, besides detecting sex differences in local tissue volume that align with previous studies, we uncovered two additional brain loci that are larger in male compared to female zebra finches. These volume differences co-localize with areas related to the song control and auditory pathways and can therefore be associated to the behavioral difference as only male zebra finches sing. In sum, our data point to clear heterochronous patterns of brain development similar to brain development in mammalian species and this work can serve as a reference for future neurodevelopmental imaging studies in zebra finches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Hamaide
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Geert De Groof
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lisbeth Van Ruijssevelt
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Kristina Lukacova
- Centre of Biosciences, Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium.
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12
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Washington SD, Hamaide J, Jeurissen B, van Steenkiste G, Huysmans T, Sijbers J, Deleye S, Kanwal JS, De Groof G, Liang S, Van Audekerke J, Wenstrup JJ, Van der Linden A, Radtke-Schuller S, Verhoye M. A three-dimensional digital neurological atlas of the mustached bat (Pteronotus parnellii). Neuroimage 2018; 183:300-313. [PMID: 30102998 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Substantial knowledge of auditory processing within mammalian nervous systems emerged from neurophysiological studies of the mustached bat (Pteronotus parnellii). This highly social and vocal species retrieves precise information about the velocity and range of its targets through echolocation. Such high acoustic processing demands were likely the evolutionary pressures driving the over-development at peripheral (cochlea), metencephalic (cochlear nucleus), mesencephalic (inferior colliculus), diencephalic (medial geniculate body of the thalamus), and telencephalic (auditory cortex) auditory processing levels in this species. Auditory researchers stand to benefit from a three dimensional brain atlas of this species, due to its considerable contribution to auditory neuroscience. Our MRI-based atlas was generated from 2 sets of image data of an ex-vivo male mustached bat's brain: a detailed 3D-T2-weighted-RARE scan [(59 × 63 x 85) μm3] and track density images based on super resolution diffusion tensor images [(78) μm3] reconstructed from a set of low resolution diffusion weighted images using Super-Resolution-Reconstruction (SRR). By surface-rendering these delineations and extrapolating from cortical landmarks and data from previous studies, we generated overlays that estimate the locations of classic functional subregions within mustached bat auditory cortex. This atlas is freely available from our website and can simplify future electrophysiological, microinjection, and neuroimaging studies in this and related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart D Washington
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Julie Hamaide
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Ben Jeurissen
- Imec-Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - Toon Huysmans
- Imec-Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jan Sijbers
- Imec-Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Steven Deleye
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jagmeet S Kanwal
- Laboratory for Auditory Communication and Cognition, Georgetown University Medical Center, The Research Building, rm WP09, 3900 Reservoir Rd, NW, Washington, DC 20057, United States of America
| | - Geert De Groof
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Sayuan Liang
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jeffrey J Wenstrup
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, 4209 State Route 44, Rootstown, OH, 44272, United States of America
| | | | - Susanne Radtke-Schuller
- Division of Neurobiology, Biocenter of Ludwig Maximilians University, Grosshadernerstrasse 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
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13
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Blockx I, Einstein S, Guns PJ, Van Audekerke J, Guglielmetti C, Zago W, Roose D, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A, Bard F. Monitoring Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity Following Amyloid-β Immunotherapy Using Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI in a PDAPP Mouse Model. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 54:723-35. [PMID: 27567811 DOI: 10.3233/jad-160023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) have been reported with some anti-amyloid-β (Aβ) immunotherapy trials. They are detected with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and thought to represent transient accumulation of fluid/edema (ARIA-E) or microhemorrhages (ARIA-H). Although the clinical significance and pathophysiology are unknown, it has been proposed that anti-Aβimmunotherapy may affect blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. OBJECTIVE To examine vascular integrity in aged (12-16 months) PDAPP and wild type mice (WT), we performed a series of longitudinal in vivo MRI studies. METHODS Mice were treated on a weekly basis using anti-Aβimmunotherapy (3D6) and follow up was done longitudinally from 1-12 weeks after treatment. BBB-integrity was assessed using both visual assessment of T1-weighted scans and repeated T1 mapping in combination with gadolinium (Gd-DOTA). RESULTS A subset of 3D6 treated PDAPP mice displayed numerous BBB disruptions, whereas WT and saline-treated PDAPP mice showed intact BBB integrity under the conditions tested. In addition, the contrast induced decrease in T1 value was observed in the meningeal and midline area. BBB disruption events occurred early during treatment (between 1 and 5 weeks), were transient, and resolved quickly. Finally, BBB-leakages associated with microhemorrhages were confirmed by Perls'Prussian blue histopathological analysis. CONCLUSION Our preclinical findings support the hypothesis that 3D6 leads to transient leakage from amyloid-positive vessels. The current study has provided valuable insights on the time course of vascular alterations during immunization treatment and supports further research in relation to the nature of ARIA and the utility of in vivo repeated T1 MRI as a translational tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Blockx
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Pieter-Jan Guns
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Expert Group Antwerp Molecular Imaging (EGAMI), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | | | - Wagner Zago
- Prothena Biosciences Inc, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dimitri Roose
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | | | - Frederique Bard
- Janssen Prevention Center, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, San Diego, CA, USA
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14
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Ramos-Llorden G, den Dekker AJ, Van Steenkiste G, Jeurissen B, Vanhevel F, Van Audekerke J, Verhoye M, Sijbers J. A Unified Maximum Likelihood Framework for Simultaneous Motion and $T_{1}$ Estimation in Quantitative MR $T_{1}$ Mapping. IEEE Trans Med Imaging 2017; 36:433-446. [PMID: 27662674 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2016.2611653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In quantitative MR T1 mapping, the spin-lattice relaxation time T1 of tissues is estimated from a series of T1 -weighted images. As the T1 estimation is a voxel-wise estimation procedure, correct spatial alignment of the T1 -weighted images is crucial. Conventionally, the T1 -weighted images are first registered based on a general-purpose registration metric, after which the T1 map is estimated. However, as demonstrated in this paper, such a two-step approach leads to a bias in the final T1 map. In our work, instead of considering motion correction as a preprocessing step, we recover the motion-free T1 map using a unified estimation approach. In particular, we propose a unified framework where the motion parameters and the T1 map are simultaneously estimated with a Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimator. With our framework, the relaxation model, the motion model as well as the data statistics are jointly incorporated to provide substantially more accurate motion and T1 parameter estimates. Experiments with realistic Monte Carlo simulations show that the proposed unified ML framework outperforms the conventional two-step approach as well as state-of-the-art model-based approaches, in terms of both motion and T1 map accuracy and mean-square error. Furthermore, the proposed method was additionally validated in a controlled experiment with real T1 -weighted data and with two in vivo human brain T1 -weighted data sets, showing its applicability in real-life scenarios.
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15
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Hamaide J, De Groof G, Van Steenkiste G, Jeurissen B, Van Audekerke J, Naeyaert M, Van Ruijssevelt L, Cornil C, Sijbers J, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A. Exploring sex differences in the adult zebra finch brain: In vivo diffusion tensor imaging and ex vivo super-resolution track density imaging. Neuroimage 2016; 146:789-803. [PMID: 27697612 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.09.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Zebra finches are an excellent model to study the process of vocal learning, a complex socially-learned tool of communication that forms the basis of spoken human language. So far, structural investigation of the zebra finch brain has been performed ex vivo using invasive methods such as histology. These methods are highly specific, however, they strongly interfere with performing whole-brain analyses and exclude longitudinal studies aimed at establishing causal correlations between neuroplastic events and specific behavioral performances. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to implement an in vivo Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) protocol sensitive enough to detect structural sex differences in the adult zebra finch brain. Voxel-wise comparison of male and female DTI parameter maps shows clear differences in several components of the song control system (i.e. Area X surroundings, the high vocal center (HVC) and the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (LMAN)), which corroborate previous findings and are in line with the clear behavioral difference as only males sing. Furthermore, to obtain additional insights into the 3-dimensional organization of the zebra finch brain and clarify findings obtained by the in vivo study, ex vivo DTI data of the male and female brain were acquired as well, using a recently established super-resolution reconstruction (SRR) imaging strategy. Interestingly, the SRR-DTI approach led to a marked reduction in acquisition time without interfering with the (spatial and angular) resolution and SNR which enabled to acquire a data set characterized by a 78μm isotropic resolution including 90 diffusion gradient directions within 44h of scanning time. Based on the reconstructed SRR-DTI maps, whole brain probabilistic Track Density Imaging (TDI) was performed for the purpose of super resolved track density imaging, further pushing the resolution up to 40μm isotropic. The DTI and TDI maps realized atlas-quality anatomical maps that enable a clear delineation of most components of the song control and auditory systems. In conclusion, this study paves the way for longitudinal in vivo and high-resolution ex vivo experiments aimed at disentangling neuroplastic events that characterize the critical period for vocal learning in zebra finch ontogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Hamaide
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Geert De Groof
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Ben Jeurissen
- iMinds-Vision Lab, Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Johan Van Audekerke
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Maarten Naeyaert
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Charlotte Cornil
- GIGA Neurosciences, Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Liège, Belgium
| | - Jan Sijbers
- iMinds-Vision Lab, Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium
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16
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Van Ruijssevelt L, De Groof G, Van der Kant A, Poirier C, Van Audekerke J, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) with auditory stimulation in songbirds. J Vis Exp 2013. [PMID: 23770665 DOI: 10.3791/4369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurobiology of birdsong, as a model for human speech, is a pronounced area of research in behavioral neuroscience. Whereas electrophysiology and molecular approaches allow the investigation of either different stimuli on few neurons, or one stimulus in large parts of the brain, blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) allows combining both advantages, i.e. compare the neural activation induced by different stimuli in the entire brain at once. fMRI in songbirds is challenging because of the small size of their brains and because their bones and especially their skull comprise numerous air cavities, inducing important susceptibility artifacts. Gradient-echo (GE) BOLD fMRI has been successfully applied to songbirds (1-5) (for a review, see (6)). These studies focused on the primary and secondary auditory brain areas, which are regions free of susceptibility artifacts. However, because processes of interest may occur beyond these regions, whole brain BOLD fMRI is required using an MRI sequence less susceptible to these artifacts. This can be achieved by using spin-echo (SE) BOLD fMRI (7,8) . In this article, we describe how to use this technique in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), which are small songbirds with a bodyweight of 15-25 g extensively studied in behavioral neurosciences of birdsong. The main topic of fMRI studies on songbirds is song perception and song learning. The auditory nature of the stimuli combined with the weak BOLD sensitivity of SE (compared to GE) based fMRI sequences makes the implementation of this technique very challenging.
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17
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Blockx I, Verhoye M, Van Audekerke J, Bergwerf I, Kane JX, Delgado Y Palacios R, Veraart J, Jeurissen B, Raber K, von Hörsten S, Ponsaerts P, Sijbers J, Leergaard TB, Van der Linden A. Identification and characterization of Huntington related pathology: an in vivo DKI imaging study. Neuroimage 2012; 63:653-62. [PMID: 22743196 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2011] [Revised: 06/10/2012] [Accepted: 06/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
An important focus of Huntington Disease (HD) research is the identification of symptom-independent biomarkers of HD neuropathology. There is an urgent need for reproducible, sensitive and specific outcome measures, which can be used to track disease onset as well as progression. Neuroimaging studies, in particular diffusion-based MRI methods, are powerful probes for characterizing the effects of disease and aging on tissue microstructure. We report novel diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) findings in aged transgenic HD rats. We demonstrate altered diffusion metrics in the (pre)frontal cerebral cortex, external capsule and striatum. Presence of increased diffusion complexity and restriction in the striatum is confirmed by an increased fiber dispersion in this region. Immunostaining of the same specimens reveals decreased number of microglia in the (pre)frontal cortex, and increased numbers of oligodendrocytes in the striatum. We conclude that DKI allows sensitive and specific characterization of altered tissue integrity in this HD rat model, indicating a promising potential for diagnostic imaging of gray and white matter pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Blockx
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
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18
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Blockx I, De Groof G, Verhoye M, Van Audekerke J, Raber K, Poot D, Sijbers J, Osmand AP, Von Hörsten S, Van der Linden A. Microstructural changes observed with DKI in a transgenic Huntington rat model: Evidence for abnormal neurodevelopment. Neuroimage 2012; 59:957-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.08.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2011] [Revised: 08/12/2011] [Accepted: 08/21/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
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Rajan J, Jeurissen B, Verhoye M, Van Audekerke J, Sijbers J. Maximum likelihood estimation-based denoising of magnetic resonance images using restricted local neighborhoods. Phys Med Biol 2011; 56:5221-34. [PMID: 21791732 DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/56/16/009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a method to denoise magnitude magnetic resonance (MR) images, which are Rician distributed. Conventionally, maximum likelihood methods incorporate the Rice distribution to estimate the true, underlying signal from a local neighborhood within which the signal is assumed to be constant. However, if this assumption is not met, such filtering will lead to blurred edges and loss of fine structures. As a solution to this problem, we put forward the concept of restricted local neighborhoods where the true intensity for each noisy pixel is estimated from a set of preselected neighboring pixels. To this end, a reference image is created from the noisy image using a recently proposed nonlocal means algorithm. This reference image is used as a prior for further noise reduction. A scheme is developed to locally select an appropriate subset of pixels from which the underlying signal is estimated. Experimental results based on the peak signal to noise ratio, structural similarity index matrix, Bhattacharyya coefficient and mean absolute difference from synthetic and real MR images demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method over other state-of-the-art methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeny Rajan
- Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
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20
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Jonckers E, Van Audekerke J, De Visscher G, Van der Linden A, Verhoye M. Functional connectivity fMRI of the rodent brain: comparison of functional connectivity networks in rat and mouse. PLoS One 2011; 6:e18876. [PMID: 21533116 PMCID: PMC3078931 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2010] [Accepted: 03/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
At present, resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) is increasingly used in human neuropathological research. The present study aims at implementing rsfMRI in mice, a species that holds the widest variety of neurological disease models. Moreover, by acquiring rsfMRI data with a comparable protocol for anesthesia, scanning and analysis, in both rats and mice we were able to compare findings obtained in both species. The outcome of rsfMRI is different for rats and mice and depends strongly on the applied number of components in the Independent Component Analysis (ICA). The most important difference was the appearance of unilateral cortical components for the mouse resting state data compared to bilateral rat cortical networks. Furthermore, a higher number of components was needed for the ICA analysis to separate different cortical regions in mice as compared to rats.
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Boumans T, Vignal C, Smolders A, Sijbers J, Verhoye M, Van Audekerke J, Mathevon N, Van der Linden A. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Zebra Finch Discerns the Neural Substrate Involved in Segregation of Conspecific Song From Background Noise. J Neurophysiol 2008; 99:931-8. [PMID: 17881485 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00483.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, fMRI was introduced in a well-documented animal model for vocal learning, the songbird. Using fMRI and conspecific signals mixed with different levels of broadband noise, we now demonstrate auditory-induced activation representing discriminatory properties of auditory forebrain regions in anesthetized male zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata). Earlier behavioral tests showed comparable calling responses to the original conspecific song stimulus heard outside and inside the magnet. A significant fMRI response was elicited by conspecific song in the primary auditory thalamo-recipient subfield L2a; in neighboring subareas L2b, L3, and L; and in the rostral part of the higher-order auditory area NCM (caudomedial nidopallium). Temporal BOLD response clustering revealed rostral and caudal clusters that we defined as “cluster Field L” and “cluster NCM”, respectively. However, because the actual border between caudal Field L subregions and NCM cannot be seen in the structural MR image and is not precisely reported elsewhere, the cluster NCM might also contain subregion L and the medial extremes of the subregions L2b and L3. Our results show that whereas in cluster Field L the response was not reduced by added noise, in cluster NCM the response was reduced and finally disappeared with increasing levels of noise added to the song stimulus. The activation in cluster NCM was significant for only two experimental stimuli that showed significantly more behavioral responses than the more degraded stimuli, suggesting that the first area within the auditory system where the ability to discern song from masking noise emerges is located in cluster NCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiny Boumans
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
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22
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Veauvy CM, McDonald MD, Van Audekerke J, Vanhoutte G, Van Camp N, Van der Linden A, Walsh PJ. Ammonia affects brain nitrogen metabolism but not hydration status in the Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta). Aquat Toxicol 2005; 74:32-46. [PMID: 15927282 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2005.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2005] [Revised: 05/02/2005] [Accepted: 05/03/2005] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Laboratory rodents made hyperammonemic by infusing ammonia into the blood show symptoms of brain cell swelling and increased intracranial pressure. These symptoms could be caused in part by an increase in brain glutamine formed when brain glutamine synthetase (GS) naturally detoxifies ammonia to glutamine. Previous studies on the Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) demonstrated that it is resistant to high ammonia exposure (HAE) (96 h LC(50)=10mM) despite an increase in brain glutamine. This study attempts to resolve whether the resistance of O. beta is mediated by special handling of brain water in the face of changing glutamine concentrations. Methionine sulfoximine (MSO), an inhibitor of GS, was used to pharmacologically manipulate glutamine concentrations, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to assess the status of brain water. Ammonia or MSO treatment did not substantially affect blood acid-base parameters. Exposure to 3.5mM ammonium chloride in seawater for 16 or 40 h resulted in a parallel increase in brain ammonia (3-fold) and glutamine (2-fold) and a decrease in brain glutamate (1.3-fold). Pre-treatment with MSO prevented ammonia-induced changes in glutamine and glutamate concentrations. HAE also induced an increase in plasma osmolality (by 7%) which was probably due to a disturbance of osmoregulatory processes but which did not result in broader whole body dehydration as indicated by muscle water analysis. The increase in brain glutamine was not associated with any changes in brain water in toadfish exposed to 3.5 mM ammonia for up to 40 h or even at 10, 20 and 30 mM ammonia consecutively and for one hour in each concentration. The lack of brain water accumulation implies that ammonia toxicity in toadfish appears to be via pathways other than cerebral swelling. Furthermore, toadfish pre-treated with MSO did not survive a normally sub-lethal exposure to 3.5 mM ammonia for 40 h. The enhancement of ammonia toxicity by MSO suggests that GS function is critical to ammonia tolerance in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémence M Veauvy
- Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries, NIEHS Marine and Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149-1098, USA.
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23
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Van Meir V, Boumans T, De Groof G, Van Audekerke J, Smolders A, Scheunders P, Sijbers J, Verhoye M, Balthazart J, Van der Linden A. Spatiotemporal properties of the BOLD response in the songbirds' auditory circuit during a variety of listening tasks. Neuroimage 2005; 25:1242-55. [PMID: 15850742 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.12.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2004] [Revised: 11/19/2004] [Accepted: 12/05/2004] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Auditory fMRI in humans has recently received increasing attention from cognitive neuroscientists as a tool to understand mental processing of learned acoustic sequences and analyzing speech recognition and development of musical skills. The present study introduces this tool in a well-documented animal model for vocal learning, the songbird, and provides fundamental insight in the main technical issues associated with auditory fMRI in these songbirds. Stimulation protocols with various listening tasks lead to appropriate activation of successive relays in the songbirds' auditory pathway. The elicited BOLD response is also region and stimulus specific, and its temporal aspects provide accurate measures of the changes in brain physiology induced by the acoustic stimuli. Extensive repetition of an identical stimulus does not lead to habituation of the response in the primary or secondary telencephalic auditory regions of anesthetized subjects. The BOLD signal intensity changes during a stimulation and subsequent rest period have a very specific time course which shows a remarkable resemblance to auditory evoked BOLD responses commonly observed in human subjects. This observation indicates that auditory fMRI in the songbird may establish a link between auditory related neuro-imaging studies done in humans and the large body of neuro-ethological research on song learning and neuro-plasticity performed in songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Van Meir
- Bio-Imaging Laboratory, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
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Borger R, De Boeck G, Van Audekerke J, Dommisse R, Blust R, Van der Linden A. Recovery of the energy metabolism after a hypoxic challenge at different temperature conditions: a 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy study with common carp. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 1998. [DOI: 10.1016/s1095-6433(98)10022-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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