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Radiation induced brain injury: assessment of white matter tracts in a pre-clinical animal model using diffusion tensor MR imaging

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Abstract

We aim to study radiation induced white matter injury in a pre-clinical model using Diffusion tensor MR imaging (DTI). Nineteen 12-week old Sprague–Dawley rats were irradiated to the right hemisphere using a linear accelerator. The dose distribution map was coregistered to the DTI map to generate the actual radiation dose to each white matter tract. Rats underwent longitudinal DTI scans at five time points from 4 to 48 weeks post-radiation with histological evaluations. Fractional anisotropy (FA) of the external capsule, fornix, cerebral peduncle, anterior commissure, optic tract and optic nerve was evaluated. Radiation dose was highest at the ipsilateral external capsule and fornix (29.4 ± 1.3 and 29.8 ± 1.1 Gy, respectively). Optic nerve received 50 % dose to the external capsule and other white matter tracts received 80 % dose. Significantly lower FA was firstly found in the ipsilateral external capsule at 4 weeks post-radiation and in the ipsilateral fornix at 40 weeks post-radiation compared to the contralateral side. Significantly lower FA was found in contralateral optic nerve compared to ipsilateral optic nerve at 48 weeks post-radiation despite ipsilateral optic nerves receiving higher radiation dose than contralateral optic nerve (p = 0.021). No differences were found in other white matter regions until 48 weeks. Histology indicated demyelination, axonal degeneration and coagulative necrosis in all injured white matter. DTI can serve as a promising tool for assessment of radiation induced white matter injury and regional radiosensitivity of white matter tracts.

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Abbreviations

DTI:

Diffusion tensor MR imaging

FA:

Fractional anisotropy

ROI:

Region of interest

RION:

Radiation induced optic neuropathy

H&E:

Hematoxylin and eosin

LFB:

Luxol fast blue

NF:

Neural filament

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Acknowledgments

The study is supported by University of Hong Kong Committee on Research and Conference grants (HKU7587/06M).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Hong Kong, Room 406, Block K, Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Silun Wang, Deqiang Qiu, Jing Gu & Pek-Lan Khong

  2. Lucas Center for Imaging, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Deqiang Qiu

  3. Department of Anatomy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Kwok-Fai So

  4. Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Ed X. Wu

  5. Department of Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Lucullus H. T. Leung

Authors
  1. Silun Wang
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  2. Deqiang Qiu
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  3. Kwok-Fai So
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  4. Ed X. Wu
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  5. Lucullus H. T. Leung
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  6. Jing Gu
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  7. Pek-Lan Khong
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Silun Wang or Pek-Lan Khong.

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Silun Wang and Deqiang Qiu contributed equally to the study.

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Wang, S., Qiu, D., So, KF. et al. Radiation induced brain injury: assessment of white matter tracts in a pre-clinical animal model using diffusion tensor MR imaging. J Neurooncol 112, 9–15 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-012-1031-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-012-1031-0

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