Hitoshi Ohtomo

Disturbed Ca2+ homeostasis in the gerbil hippocampus following brief transient ischemia

Disturbed Ca2+ homeostasis was recognized in gerbil hippocampus following brief transient ischemia. The area of abnormal calcium accumulation was quite consistent with the extent of histological hippocampus damage. These results indicate that the disturbed Ca2+ homeostasis is the crucial event to cell death.

Characterization of Experimental Ischemic Brain Edema Utilizing Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Correlations between T1 and T2 relaxation times and water and electrolyte content in the normal and ischemic rat and gerbil brains were studied by means of both nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic and imaging methods. In the spectroscopic experiment on excised rat brains, T1 was linearly dependent on tissue water content and T2 was prolonged in edematous tissue to a greater extent than expected by an increase in water content, showing that T2 possesses a greater sensitivity for edema identification and localization. Changes in Na+ and K+ content of the tissue mattered little in the prolongation of relaxation times. Serial NMR imaging of gerbil brains insulted with permanent hemispheric ischemia offered early lesion detection in T1- and especially T2-weighted images (detection as soon as 30 min after insult). The progressive nature of lesions was also imaged. Calculated T1 and T2 relaxation times in regions of interest correlated excellently with tissue water content (r = 0.892 and 0.744 for T1 and T2, respectively). As a result, detection of cerebral ischemia utilizing NMR imaging was strongly dependent on a change in tissue water content. The different nature of T1 and T2 relaxation times was also observed.

Correlations between proton nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and retrospective histochemical images in experimental cerebral infarction.

Evaluation of ischemic brain injury in experimental cerebral infarction in gerbils and rats was performed by means of both proton nuclear magnetic resonance imaging ([1H]NMR-CT) and various histochemical analyses. In vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging was carried out employing saturation recovery, inversion recovery, and spin echo pulse sequences. Spatial resolution of the images was excellent. The ischemic lesions were detected with a remarkable contrast in inversion recovery and spin echo images within a few hours after insult. Those changes in NMR images consistently corresponded with the various retrospective histochemical observations, especially with methods related to brain edema (K+ staining) rather than structural (enzymatic) studies. Calculated T1 and T2 relaxation times indicated the evolution of the edema state in the brain in situ. They correlated excellently with the retrospective water content measurement. As a result, detailed characterization of the edema state induced by cerebral ischemia was possible in vivo using [1H]NMR imaging.

Simplified Enzymatic Synthesis and Biodistribution of 11C-S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine

Abstract11C-S-Adenosyl-l-methionine (11C-SAM) was synthesized enzymatically from 11C-l-methionine using ratliver extract [40%–50% saturated (NH4)2SO4 fraction] as the enzyme source. In biodistribution studies in rats, the highest uptake of 11C-SAM was found in the kidneys. 11C-SAM was also accumulated in the small intestine, pancreas, adrenal gland, liver, and spleen. The uptake of 11C-SAM in the brain increased with time, but remained low. At 30 min after injection, about 50%–60% of the 11C radioactivity was present in the acid-insoluble fraction of the kidneys and liver. When a high loading dose of 11C-SAM was administered, the kidney uptake was enhanced, but the proportion of the radioactivity present in the acid-insoluble fraction was lower. In a study of one rabbit, the kidney uptake was of 11-SAM clearly visualized using positronemission tomography.

Activation autoradiography: imaging and quantitative determination of endogenous and exogenous oxygen in the rat brain

Endogenous and exogenous oxygen in the rat brain were quantitatively determined using an autoradiographic technique. The oxygen images of frozen and dried rat brain sections were obtained as 18F images by using the 16O (3He,p)18F reaction for endogenous 16O images and the 18O(p,n)18F reaction for endogenous and exogenous 18O images. These autoradiograms demonstrated the different distribution of oxygen between gray and white matter. These images also allowed differentiation of the individual structures of hippocampal formation, owing to the differing water content of the various structures. Local oxygen contents were quantitatively determined from autoradiograms of brain sections and standard sections with known oxygen contents. The estimated values were 75.6 ± 4.6 wt% in gray matter and 72.2 ± 4.0 wt% in white matter. The systematic error in the present method was estimated to be 4.9%.