In Vivo Dynamic MR Imaging of MBP-induced Acute Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in Lewis Rat

A dynamic in vivo study by MRI consisting of the measurement of relaxation times and in the visualization of the BBB permeability by Gd-DOTA was performed in an MBP-induced acute EAE model of Lewis rat. Fourteen rats were immunized with an MBP/CFA mixture, eight by CFA alone, and three control rats were used to test the harmless effect of repeatedly performed MRI examinations. Beginning on the 8th or 9th days and in parallel with the emergence of clinical signs, rats immunized by the MBP/CFA mixture showed slight increases of relaxation times and of the BBB permeability. These abnormalities, which always remain localized in the periventricular regions, become more pronounced toward the 10th and 11th days, just before (or at the same time) as paraplegia manifestations. After a plateau of a few days, they diminish with the clinical signs. This close correlation found in vivo establishes the essential role of BBB in the pathogenesis of clinical signs of this EAE model.