Functional neuroimaging of the 6-OHDA lesion rat model of Parkinson's disease

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 513; no. 2; pp. 187 - 192
• Main Authors: Jang, Dong Pyo, Min, Hoon-Ki, Lee, Sang-Yoon, Kim, In Young, Park, Hyung Woo, Im, Yong Hoon, Lee, Sohee, Sim, Jeongeun, Kim, Young-Bo, Paek, Sun Ha, Cho, Zang-Hee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 04.04.2012
• Subjects: 6-Hydroxydopamine; [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose; Animals; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - metabolism; Functional Neuroimaging - methods; Male; Motor Activity - drug effects; Motor Activity - physiology; Neurons - diagnostic imaging; Neurons - metabolism; Oxidopamine - toxicity; Parkinson Disease, Secondary - chemically induced; Parkinson Disease, Secondary - diagnostic imaging; Parkinson Disease, Secondary - metabolism; Parkinson's disease; Positron emission tomography; Radionuclide Imaging; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Parkinson's disease; Positron emission tomography; [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose; 6-Hydroxydopamine
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.02.034

► [F-18]FDG PET characterized the brain metabolism changes before and after 6-OHDA lesioning. ► Glucose metabolism decreased in the motor cortex, substantia nigra, and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus. ► Those metabolism changes decreases had positive relationships with behavioral response. ► The PPN significantly correlated with the other brain areas metabolically changed after lesioning. ► Cerebral mapping of the 6-OHDA-lesioned showed correspondence to the cortico–subcortical network in PD patients. We characterized the unilaterally 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rat, a well-known acute model of Parkinson's disease (PD), with [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) small-animal positron emission tomography (PET), which we compared with a drug-induced rotation behavioral test. In the 6-OHDA model, significant glucose hypometabolism was present in the primary motor cortex, substantia nigra, and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus on the ipsilateral side. In contrast, neuronal activations were observed in the primary somatosensory cortex and ventral caudate–putamen area after lesioning. Correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between the behavioral results and the degree of glucose metabolism impairment in the primary motor cortex, substantia nigra, and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus. In addition, the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus correlated significantly with the primary somatosensory cortex, the ventral caudate–putamen, the substantia nigra, and the primary motor cortex. Furthermore, the primary motor cortex also showed significant correlations with the substantia nigra. In conclusion, In vivo cerebral mapping of the 6-OHDA-lesioned rats using [18F]-FDG PET showed correspondence at the functional levels to the cortico–subcortical network impairment observed in PD patients.