Characterizing the regional structural difference of the brain between tau transgenic (rTg4510) and wild-type mice using MRI.

rTg4510 transgenic mouse model demonstrates features resembling Alzheimer's disease including neurofibrillary degeneration and progressive neuronal loss. We investigated the volumetric differences of brain structures between transgenic and wild-type mice using MR images of fourteen 5.5 month old female mice. Tensor-based morphometry and atlas-based segmentation were applied to MRI images. Severe atrophy of hippocampus and neocortex as well as ventricular dilatation were observed in the transgenic mice. These findings were confirmed by histopathologic evaluation of the same mice. The results suggest that MRI should be useful for evaluating disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease in the rTg4510 model and comparing treatment responses in mice and humans.