ex vivo imaging of cerebral amyloid angiopathy and its associated lesions using micro-MRI

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K15246
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Human pathology
• Research Institution: Mie University
• Principal Investigator: Tomimoto Hidekazu 三重大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (80324648)
• Research Collaborator: Hashizume Yoshio ; Niwa Atsushi ; Shindo Akihiro ; Ishikawa Hidehiro
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: マイクロMRI / 脳アミロイド血管症 / 剖検脳 / アミロイドβ / 毛細血管

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Amyloid β is a protein causing Alzheimer’s disease, and deposits not only in the neuropil but also in the blood vessels which leads to cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). As a result of vascular amyloid β deposit, various microvascular lesions such as microbleeds and microinfarctions may occur, but the exact pathomechanism of lesion development remained uncertain. In the present study, we applied micro-MRI technique to autopsied brains which enabled us to obtain radiological images of microvascular lesion due to CAA, and further delineated the pathological aspects of these images. In addition, we delineated contribution of neuroinflammation to the loss of vascular integrity, because in the sites of microvascular lesions, there was marked accumulation of inflammatory molecules including complement proteins.

Free Research Field

神経内科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

脳アミロイド血管症は高率にアルツハイマー病に合併するが、それ自体も認知症の原因となる。従来の診断技術では脳アミロイド血管症を臨床的に診断するためには脳生検が必要であったが、本研究の結果から、脳アミロイド血管症を示唆する画像所見に対応する病理変化が明らかになった。この結果、必ずしも脳生検を行わなくてもMRIの画像所見から脳アミロイド血管症を診断する新たな診断技術の可能性が示された。