2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Analysis of magnetic resonance imaging in cerebral white matter injury using chronically instrumented fetal sheep

Research Project

Project/Area Number	22791025
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Embryonic/Neonatal medicine
Research Institution	Tohoku University
Principal Investigator	AKIYAMA Shizuko 東北大学, 病院, 助手 (80466549)
Project Period (FY)	2010 – 2012
Keywords	胎児 / 脳白質損傷 / 脳室周囲白質軟化 / MRI / 診断基準
Research Abstract	We analyzed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the cerebral white matter injury (WMI) using chronically instrumented fetal sheep, suffered from ischemia and/or inflammation in utero. Abnormal MRI signals were found in 5 fetuses induced focal WMI while unexpectedly also found in 3 fetuses not induced WMI, as a focal low T1, diffuse high T2 or focal high T1 /low T2 intensity. It might be possible that these abnormal signals observed in the latter group reflected histologic changes in acute phase of diffuse WMI, clinically more important than focal WMI. Consequently, it would be necessary to be evaluated the oligodendroglial development in the white matter by adding the immuno-histochemical analysis as a next step.