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Assessment of Blood Brain Barrier Leakage with Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI

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Preclinical MRI

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1718))

Abstract

The integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) can be noninvasively monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Conventional MR contrast agents (CAs) containing gadolinium are used in association with MRI in routine clinical practice to detect and quantify BBB leakage. Under normal circumstances CAs do not cross the intact BBB. However due to their small size they extravasate from the blood into the brain tissue even when the BBB is partially compromised. Here we describe an MR method based on T1-weighted images taken prior to and after CA injection. This MR method is useful for investigating BBB permeability in in vivo mouse models and can be easily applied in a number of experimental disease conditions including neuroinflammation disorders, or to assess (un)wanted drug effects.

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Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Till Hülnhagen, Henning Reimann, and Joao Periquito for the development of all custom made analysis tools with MATLAB program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany

    Min-Chi Ku, Sonia Waiczies, Thoralf Niendorf & Andreas Pohlmann

  2. DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, Germany

    Thoralf Niendorf

Authors
  1. Min-Chi Ku
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  2. Sonia Waiczies
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  3. Thoralf Niendorf
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  4. Andreas Pohlmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andreas Pohlmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. BIONAND, Andalusian Centre for Nanomedicine and Biotechnology, Junta de Andalucía, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain

    María Luisa García Martín

  2. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols”, CSIC/UAM, Madrid, Spain

    Pilar López Larrubia

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Ku, MC., Waiczies, S., Niendorf, T., Pohlmann, A. (2018). Assessment of Blood Brain Barrier Leakage with Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI. In: García Martín, M., López Larrubia, P. (eds) Preclinical MRI. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1718. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7531-0_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7531-0_23

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-7530-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-7531-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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