T2 and T2* Magnetic Resonance Imaging Sequences Predict Brain Injury After Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Rats

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) animal models and patients. In the current study, we examined whether MRI can predict at-risk brain tissue during the acute phase and long-term brain tissue loss after ICH. Male Sprague-Dawley rats had an intracaudate injection of autologous whole blood (10, 50 or 100 μL). MRI (T2 and T2*) sequences were performed at days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28. The volume of brain tissue at risk was calculated as the difference between T2 and T2* lesion volumes. Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32 kDa (DARPP-32) was used as a neuronal marker in the basal ganglia. Brain swelling at day 3 and brain tissue loss at day 28 after ICH were also measured. We found that the difference in lesion volumes between T2 and T2* measured by MRI coincided well with the difference between the volume of the DARPP-32-negative area and that of the hematoma measured in brain sections. Volumes of brain tissue at risk at day 3 correlated with the brain swelling at day 3 (p < 0.01) as well as the final brain tissue loss at day 28 (n = 9, p < 0.05). The results suggest that the difference between T2 lesions and T2* lesions could be an indicator of at-risk brain tissue and it could be used as a predictor of neuronal loss in ICH patients.