scholarly journals High-resolution MEMRI characterizes laminar specific ascending and descending spinal cord pathways in rats

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijai Krishnan ◽  
Jiadi Xu ◽  
German Alberto Mendoza ◽  
Alan Koretsky ◽  
Stasia A Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Neuronal Population ◽  
Neural Pathways ◽  
Olfactory Pathway ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Lumbar Level ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
The Brain

AbstractManganese Enhanced MRI (MEMRI) utilizing different manganese chloride (MnCl2) delivery methods, has yielded valuable architectural, functional and connection information about the brain. MEMRI also has the potential in characterizing neural pathways in the spinal cord. The spinal cord grey matter is anatomically composed of nine distinct cellular laminae, where each of the laminae receives input from a specific type of neuronal population and process or serves as a relay region in a specific sensory or motor pathway. This type of laminar arrangement in the spinal cord is currently only visualized by histological methods. It is of significant interest to determine whether laminar specific enhancement by Mn2+ can be achieved in the spinal cord, as has been reported in the brain and olfactory pathway. Here we focus on using MEMRI to determine the specific laminae of the thoracic region of the spinal cord. We focus on MnCl2 changes in the ascending and descending tracts of the spinal cord. Major factors in applying this technique in the spinal cord are the ability to acquire high-resolution spinal cord images and to determine a noninvasive route of administration which will result in uptake by the central nervous system.We have applied the MEMRI approach by intraperitoneal (i.p). delivery of MnCl2 and imaged lumbar and thoracic spinal cord levels in rats to determine whether T1 weighted MRI can detect spinal cord laminae 48 hours following MnCl2 administration. T1 weighted images of the lower lumbar level were obtained from MnCl2 injected and control rats. Here we demonstrate laminar specific signal enhancement in the spinal cord of rats administered with MnCl2 vs. controls in MRI of the cord with ultra-high, 69 μm in-plane resolution. We also report reduced T1 values over time in MnCl2 groups across laminae I-IX. The regions with the largest T1 enhancements were observed to correspond to laminae that contain either high cell density or large motor neurons, making MEMRI an excellent tool for studying spinal cord architecture, physiology and function in different animal models.

Multifocal meningeal melanocytoma: a new pathological entity or the result of leptomeningeal seeding?

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youssef Ali ◽  
Ralph Rahme ◽  
Ronald Moussa ◽  
Gerard Abadjian ◽  
Lina Menassa-Moussa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Malignant Transformation ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Pathological Features ◽  
Unique Case ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Meningeal Melanocytoma ◽  
Leptomeningeal Seeding ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
The Brain

Meningeal melanocytoma is a rare benign CNS tumor derived from the leptomeningeal melanocytes. Although unusual, malignant transformation with leptomeningeal seeding into the brain or spinal cord may occur years after the initial diagnosis. The authors report a unique case of multifocal benign meningeal melanocytoma involving both cerebellopontine angles and the thoracic spinal cord, with associated diffuse leptomeningeal hyperpigmentation. They review the literature relevant to this topic and discuss the radiological and pathological features of this disease as well as its treatment options.

scholarly journals Magnetic resonance imaging in HTLV-I associated myelopathy

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aílton Melo ◽  
Luciana Moura ◽  
Solana Rios ◽  
Marcos Machado ◽  
Gersonita Costa
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Brain Lesions ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
Brain And Spinal Cord ◽  
The Brain

Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and spinal cord were carried out for seventeen consecutive patients with HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (HAM). Eight patients had brain abnormalities and four had decreased thoracic spinal cord diameter. Brain lesions were mostly located in subcortical and periventricular areas. Our data suggest that diffuse central nervous system lesions are present in patients with HAM.

scholarly journals biPACT: a method for three-dimensional visualization of mouse spinal cord circuits of long segments with high resolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuyuki Nakanishi ◽  
Munehisa Shinozaki ◽  
Narihito Nagoshi ◽  
Masaya Nakamura ◽  
Hideyuki Okano
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Special Equipment ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Resolution Images

Background: The spatial complexity of neuronal circuits in the central nervous system is an hurdle in understanding and treating brain and spinal cord injuries. Although several methods have recently been developed to render the spinal cord transparent and label specific neural circuits, three-dimensional visualization of long segments of spinal cord with high resolution remains challenging. New Method: We have established a method that combines tissue staining of neuronal tracts traced with biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) and a modified passive clarity clearing protocol. Results: BDA was injected into the unilateral sensorimotor cortex of a mouse model of thoracic spinal cord contusional injury. Ten days later, the spinal cord was removed and immersed first in staining solution and then in hydrogel solution. The spinal cord was then sealed with a syringe and underwent gelation process, followed by clearing with clearing solution and observation solution. Staining and clearing took a total of two weeks. The samples were observed with a lightsheet microscope, and three-dimensional reconstruction was performed with ImageJ software. With the lightsheet microscope, high resolution-images comparable with tissue sections were obtained continuously and circumferentially. By tiling, it was possible to obtain high-resolution images of long segments of the spinal cord, in which each fiber could be traced. The tissue could be easily re-stained in case of fading. Comparison with Existing Methods: The present method does not require special equipment, can label specific circuits without genetic technology, and re-staining rounds can be easily implemented. It enables to visualize specific neural circuit of long spinal cord segments with high resolution up to individual nerve fiber. Conclusions: By using simple neural labeling, staining, and transparency methods, it was possible to acquire a wide range of high-resolution three-dimensional images of the spinal cord.

scholarly journals Left-right side-specific endocrine signaling complements neural pathways to mediate acute asymmetric effects of brain injury

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay Lukoyanov ◽  
Hiroyuki Watanabe ◽  
Liliana S Carvalho ◽  
Olga Kononenko ◽  
Daniil Sarkisyan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Lumbar Spinal Cord ◽  
Neural Pathways ◽  
Postural Asymmetry ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
Lumbar Spinal

Brain injuries can interrupt descending neural pathways that convey motor commands from the cortex to spinal motoneurons. Here, we demonstrate that a unilateral injury of the hindlimb sensorimotor cortex of rats with completely transected thoracic spinal cord produces hindlimb postural asymmetry with contralateral flexion and asymmetric hindlimb withdrawal reflexes within 3 hr, as well as asymmetry in gene expression patterns in the lumbar spinal cord. The injury-induced postural effects were abolished by hypophysectomy and were mimicked by transfusion of serum from animals with brain injury. Administration of the pituitary neurohormones β-endorphin or Arg-vasopressin-induced side-specific hindlimb responses in naive animals, while antagonists of the opioid and vasopressin receptors blocked hindlimb postural asymmetry in rats with brain injury. Thus, in addition to the well-established involvement of motor pathways descending from the brain to spinal circuits, the side-specific humoral signaling may also add to postural and reflex asymmetries seen after brain injury.

scholarly journals Aggressive FUS-Mutant Motor Neuron Disease Without Profound Spinal Cord Pathology

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Chen Wongworawat ◽  
Yin Allison Liu ◽  
Ravi Raghavan ◽  
Charles L White ◽  
Robin Dietz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neuron Disease ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Cell Loss ◽  
Anterior Horn ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Cytoplasmic Inclusions ◽  
Thoracic Spinal

Abstract A 29-year-old man presented with rapidly progressive severe neck weakness, asymmetrical bilateral upper extremity weakness, bulbar dysfunction, profound muscle wasting, and weight loss. Within 1 year, his speech became unintelligible, he became gastrostomy- and tracheostomy/ventilator-dependent, and wheelchair bound. Electrophysiology suggested motor neuron disease. Whole exome sequencing revealed a heterozygous pathogenic variant in the fused in sarcoma gene (FUS), c.1574C>T,p. R525L, consistent with autosomal dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Autopsy revealed extensive denervation atrophy of skeletal musculature. Surprisingly, there was only minimal patchy depletion of motor neurons within the cervico-thoracic spinal cord anterior horn cells, and the tracts were largely preserved. TDP-43 inclusions were absent. Abnormal expression of FUS mutation product (cytoplasmic inclusions) was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry within anterior horn motor neurons. The most prominent finding was a disparity between profound neck weakness and relatively low-grade anterior horn cell loss or tract degeneration in the cervico-thoracic cord.

Effects of intracarotid injections of hypertonic solutions on the neurohypophyseal milk-ejection mechanism

1959 ◽  
Vol 196 (4) ◽  
pp. 791-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Holland ◽  
Barry A. Cross ◽  
Charles H. Sawyer
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Intravenous Injection ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Milk Ejection ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Hypertonic Solutions ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
Neurohypophyseal Hormone ◽  
Ejection Mechanism ◽  
The Brain

A study was made of the effects of elevating the osmotic pressure of the blood flow to the brain by injecting hypertonic solutions into the carotid artery. Stimulation of the release of neurohypophyseal hormone was shown by the occurrence of milk ejection (intramammary pressure rise) corresponding to the effects of intravenous injection of Pitocin (2–20 mu) or Pitressin (10–50 mu). The most favorable conditions for detecting and estimating endogenous hormone release were obtained by transecting the thoracic spinal cord. If the spinal cord was intact the hypertonic injections evoked a sympathetic discharge evidenced by a rise in arterial pressure (eliminated by spinal section), a uterine contraction resembling the response to intravenous injection of 5 µg epinephrine, and an inhibition of the milk ejection response to injected Pitocin. It is concluded that the hypertonic solutions activated nervous mechanisms leading to a release of neurohypophyseal hormone and to a discharge from sympathetic centers in the brain.

scholarly journals NT3-chitosan enables de novo regeneration and functional recovery in monkeys after spinal cord injury

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (24) ◽  
pp. E5595-E5604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Sheng Rao ◽  
Can Zhao ◽  
Aifeng Zhang ◽  
Hongmei Duan ◽  
Peng Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Functional Recovery ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Neural Regeneration ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often leads to permanent loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions. We have previously shown that neurotrophin3 (NT3)-loaded chitosan biodegradable material allowed for prolonged slow release of NT3 for 14 weeks under physiological conditions. Here we report that NT3-loaded chitosan, when inserted into a 1-cm gap of hemisectioned and excised adult rhesus monkey thoracic spinal cord, elicited robust axonal regeneration. Labeling of cortical motor neurons indicated motor axons in the corticospinal tract not only entered the injury site within the biomaterial but also grew across the 1-cm-long lesion area and into the distal spinal cord. Through a combination of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging, functional MRI, electrophysiology, and kinematics-based quantitative walking behavioral analyses, we demonstrated that NT3-chitosan enabled robust neural regeneration accompanied by motor and sensory functional recovery. Given that monkeys and humans share similar genetics and physiology, our method is likely translatable to human SCI repair.

Intramedullary papillary ependymoma with choroid plexus differentiation and cerebrospinal fluid dissemination to the brain

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 511-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohanpal S. Dulai ◽  
Dario V. Caccamo ◽  
Anita L. Briley ◽  
Michael S. B. Edwards ◽  
Paul G. Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Choroid Plexus ◽  
Pineal Region ◽  
Primary Site ◽  
Initial Presentation ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Choroid Plexus Tumors ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
The Brain

This 8-year-old girl presented with a papillary ependymoma in the thoracic spinal cord. Resection was followed by recurrence at the primary site and later in the lumbosacral thecal sac, followed by cerebrospinal fluid dissemination to the brain approximately 5 years after her initial presentation. The tumor showed cytological and immunohistochemical features overlapping those of classic ependymomas and choroid plexus tumors similar to those seen in uncommon supratentorial papillary ependymomas, also known as papillary tumors of the pineal region. The histopathological and clinical courses of this rare spinal papillary ependymoma exhibiting mixed ependymal and choroid plexus–like differentiation are discussed.

Spontaneous Herniation of the Thoracic Spinal Cord: A Case Report

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung Chan Jin ◽  
Seoung Ro Lee ◽  
Dong Woo Park ◽  
Kyung Bin Joo
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Case Report ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
Spontaneous Herniation
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