Visualization of beta-amyloid plaques in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease using MR microscopy without contrast reagents.

The visualization of beta-amyloid plaque deposition in brain, a key feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is important for the evaluation of disease progression and the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. In this study, beta-amyloid plaques in the PS/APP transgenic mouse brain, a model of human AD pathology, were detected using MR microscopy without contrast reagents. beta-Amyloid plaques were clearly visible in the cortex, thalamus, and hippocampus of fixed brains of PS/APP mice. The distribution of plaques identified by MRI was in excellent agreement with those found in the immunohistological analysis of the same brain sections. It was also demonstrated that image contrast for beta-amyloid plaques was present in freshly excised nonfixed brains. Furthermore, the detection of beta-amyloid plaques was achieved with a scan time as short as 2 hr, approaching the scan time considered reasonable for in vivo imaging. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.