Volume 45, Issue 2 pp. 191-195
Communication

Apparent diffusion tensor measurements in myelin-deficient rat spinal cords

V. Gulani

Corresponding Author

V. Gulani

Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, 2100 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801===Search for more papers by this author
A.G. Webb

A.G. Webb

College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

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I.D. Duncan

I.D. Duncan

School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

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P.C. Lauterbur

P.C. Lauterbur

Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

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Abstract

The apparent diffusion tensor (ADT) was measured in excised and fixed spinal cords from myelin-deficient (md) rats and age-matched controls. These data were used to obtain the principal diffusivities of the ADT, and also the scalar invariant parameters (averaged principal diffusivity) and Aσ (anisotropy index) for four white matter and two gray matter regions. The results for white matter regions showed that the principal diffusivities were significantly higher for md animals, and while the was increased in tissue from md animals, the Aσ was found to be decreased. Grey matter was measured to be between those of white matter from control and md animals, and the Aσ was much smaller than that of white matter from both sets of animals, indicating that diffusion in md white matter is more anisotropic than in gray matter. The results show that while myelination is not a prerequisite for diffusion anisotropy, it does influence the magnitude of the observed anisotropy. Magn Reson Med 45:191–195, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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