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R A Kauppinen

Publications and source records attributed to R A Kauppinen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Proton exchange as a relaxation mechanism for T1 in the rotating frame in native and immobilized protein solutions.

T1 relaxation in the rotating frame (T1rho) is a sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast for acute brain insults. Biophysical mechanisms affecting T1rho relaxation rate (R1rho) and R1rho dispersion (dependency of R1rho on the spin-lock field) were studied in protein solutions by varying their chemical environment and pH in native, heat-denatured, and glutaraldehyde (GA) cross-linked samples. Low pH strongly reduced R1rho in heat-denatured phantoms displaying proton resonances from a number of side-chain chemical groups in high-resolution 1H NMR spectra. At pH of 5.5, R1rho dispersion was completely absent. In contrast, in the GA-treated phantoms with very few NMR visible side chain groups, acidic pH showed virtually no effect on R1rho. The present data point to a crucial role of proton exchange on R1rho and R1rho dispersion in immobilized protein solution mimicking tissue relaxation properties.

Animals↗

Measurement of tissue oxygen extraction ratios from venous blood T(2): increased precision and validation of principle.

It has recently been shown that parenchymal oxygen extraction ratios (OERs) can be quantified using the absolute T(2) of venous blood draining from this tissue (Oja et al., J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1999;19:1289-1295). Here, a modified Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) multiecho experiment was used to increase the efficiency and precision of this approach and to test the applicability of the two-compartment exchange model for spin-echo BOLD effects in pure venous blood. Relaxation measurements on bovine blood as a function of CPMG interecho spacing, oxygen saturation, and hematocrit provided the baseline relaxation and susceptibility shift parameters necessary to directly relate OER to T(2) of venous blood in vivo. Using an interecho spacing of 25 ms, the results on visual activation studies in eight volunteers showed T(2)(CPMG) values increasing from 128 +/- 9 ms to 174 +/- 18 ms upon activation, corresponding to local OER values of 0.38 +/- 0.04 and 0.18 +/- 0.05 during baseline activity and visual stimulation, respectively. These OER values are in good agreement with literature data on venous oxygenation and numbers determined previously using a single-echo approach, while the measured T(2)s are about 20-40 ms longer.

Adult↗

Cerebral T1rho relaxation time increases immediately upon global ischemia in the rat independently of blood glucose and anoxic depolarization.

Time-dependent changes of T1 in the rotating frame (T1rho), diffusion, T2, and magnetization transfer contrast on cardiac arrest-induced global ischemia in rat were investigated. T1rho, as acquired with spin lock amplitudes >0.6 G, started to increase 10-20 sec after cardiac arrest followed by an increase within 3-4 min to a level that was 6-8% greater than in normal brain. The ischemic T1rho response coincided with the drop of water diffusion coefficient in normoglycemic animals. However, unlike the rate of diffusion, the kinetics of T1rho were not affected by either preischemic hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Similar to diffusion, the kinetics of anoxic depolarization were dependent on preischemic blood glucose levels. Ischemia caused a reduction in the Hahn spin echo T2 as a result of blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) effect; maximal negative BOLD seen by 40 sec. In the animals injected with an ironoxide particle contrast agent, AMI-227, prior to the insult, both T1rho and T2 immediately increased in concert on induction of ischemia. In contrast to the T1rho and diffusion changes, a much slower change in magnetization transfer contrast was evident over the first 20 min of ischemia. These data demonstrate that T1rho immediately increases following ischemia and that the pathophysiological mechanisms affecting this relaxation time may not directly involve magnetization transfer. The mechanisms prolonging T1rho differ from those affecting water diffusion with respect to their sensitivities to glucose and are apparently independent of membrane depolarization.

Animals↗

Ex vivo MR microimaging of neuronal damage after kainate-induced status epilepticus in rat: correlation with quantitative histology.

The present study was designed to investigate whether T(2)-weighted signal changes obtained by microimaging of paraformaldehyde-fixed brain correlate with the histologically quantified damage in a model of status epilepticus (SE) induced by kainic acid in the rat. Animals were killed at several time points up to 8 weeks after a single intraperitoneal kainate (KA) injection (9 mg/kg). Perfusion-fixed brains were embedded in gelatin for MR microimaging at 9.4T. After the MRI analysis, the gelatin was removed and the brains were cryoprotected and processed for quantitative histology. Severity of neuronal damage and gliosis were assessed from thionin-stained serial sections. Correlative analysis of microimaging and histology data was done in the hippocampus, amygdala, parietal rhinal cortex (PaRH), piriform cortex (Pir), and entorhinal cortex. The relative signal intensities in T(2)-weighted images correlate with the severity of neuronal damage in the matched histological sections (correlation coefficients of 0.752-0.826). Our data show that MR microimaging ex vivo detects the degree of neuronal damage and its anatomical distribution after KA-induced SE, thus providing a useful tool for detecting the dynamics of progressive neuronal damage after prolonged seizures.

Animals↗

Use of spin echo T(2) BOLD in assessment of cerebral misery perfusion at 1.5 T.

Inadequate blood supply relative to metabolic demand, a haemodynamic condition termed as misery perfusion, often occurs in conjunction with acute ischaemic stroke. Misery perfusion results in adaptive changes in cerebral physiology including increased cerebral blood volume (CBV) and oxygen extraction ratio (OER) to secure substrate supply for the brain. It has been suggested that the presence of misery perfusion may be an indication of reversible ischaemia, thus detection of this condition may have clinical impact in acute stroke imaging. The ability of single spin echo T(2) to detect misery perfusion in the rat brain at 1.5 T owing to its sensitivity to blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast was studied both theoretically and experimentally. Based on the known physiology of misery perfusion, tissue morphometry and blood relaxation data, T(2) behaviour in misery perfusion was simulated. The interpretation of these computations was experimentally assessed by quantifying T(2) in a rat model for cerebral misery perfusion. CBF was quantified with the H(2) clearance method. A drop of CBF from 58+/-8 to 17+/-3 ml/100 g/min in the parieto-frontal cortex caused shortening of T(2) from 66.9+/-0.4 to 64.6+/-0.5 ms. Under these conditions, no change in diffusion MRI was detected. In contrast, the cortex with CBF of 42+/-7 ml/100 g/min showed no change in T(2). Computer simulations accurately predicted these T(2) responses. The present study shows that the acute drop of CBF by 70% causes a negative BOLD that is readily detectable by T(2) MRI at 1.5 T. Thus BOLD may serve as an index of misery perfusion thus revealing viable tissue with increased OER.

Animals↗

HSV-tk gene therapy for human renal cell carcinoma in nude mice.

We have treated Caki-2 human renal cell carcinoma in vivo using herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene therapy. Both stably transduced Caki-2 tumors, generated using retrovirus-mediated ex vivo HSV-tk gene transfer and direct intratumoral adenovirus-mediated HSV-tk gene transfer of wild type tumors, were tested. Similar treatments with LacZ containing retro- and adenoviruses were used as controls. The outcome was evaluated by imaging the tumors before and after the treatment with magnetic resonance imaging, and using histology, immunocytochemistry, and survival analysis. When implanted orthotopically into nude mouse kidneys, Caki-2 cells formed reproducible cystic papillary kidney carcinomas. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging provided an important tool for the evaluation of tumor growth. Transduction efficiency of wild-type tumors in vivo with adeno-LacZ was 22+/-14%. Significant tumor regression was achieved with direct intratumoral adeno-HSV-tk transduction followed by intraperitoneal ganciclovir (GCV) (P<.001). Also, the treatment of stably transduced Caki-2 tumors with intraperitoneal GCV resulted in a significant treatment response in the HSV-tk group as compared to the LacZ group (P<.009). Increased apoptosis and macrophage infiltrations, reduced proliferation, and degenerative changes were observed in the tumors treated with HSV-tk and GCV. Also, significant prolongation in survival was achieved with adeno-HSV-tk- and GCV-treated mice as compared to the controls. It is concluded that adeno-HSV-tk gene therapy may be useful for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma in vivo.

Adenoviridae↗

Interrelations of T(1) and diffusion of water in acute cerebral ischemia of the rat.

Interrelation of T(1) and diffusion of water was studied in rat models of acute global and focal cerebral ischemia. Cortical T(1), as quantified with an inversion recovery method, increased by 4-7% within a few minutes of global ischemia at 4.7 and 9.4 T, but a significantly smaller change was detected at 1.5 T. The initial T(1) change occurred within seconds of cardiac arrest, much earlier than the extensive diffusion drop after 1-2 min. Thus, the initial increase in T(1) upon acute cerebral ischemia is directly caused by cessation of blood flow. In transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), prolonged T(1) relaxation was detected within 10 min, with a subsequent increase during the course of ischemia. Spin density did not change during the first hour, showing that T(1) increase was not caused by net accumulation of water. Interestingly, partial recovery of T(1) upon release of MCAO, occurring independent of long-term tissue outcome, was observed only in concert with diffusion recovery.

Acute Disease↗

Transgenic mice overexpressing truncated trkB neurotrophin receptors in neurons show increased susceptibility to cortical injury after focal cerebral ischemia.

It has been suggested that the increased production of endogenous BDNF after brain insults supports the survival of injured neurons and limits the spread of the damage. In order to test this hypothesis experimentally, we have produced transgenic mouse lines that overexpress the dominant-negative truncated splice variant of BDNF receptor trkB (trkB.T1) in postnatal cortical and hippocampal neurons. When these mice were exposed to transient focal cerebral ischemia by occluding the middle cerebral artery for 45 min and the damage was assessed 24 h later, transgenic mice had a significantly larger damage than wild-type littermates in the cerebral cortex (204 +/- 32% of wild-type, P = 0.02), but not in striatum, where the transgene is not expressed. Our results support the notion that endogenously expressed BDNF is neuroprotective and that BDNF signaling may have an important role in preventing brain damage after transient ischemia.

Alternative Splicing↗

1H NMR visible lipids in the life and death of cells.

A functionally and metabolically interesting class of cell lipid can be observed by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in situ. These prominent resonances are not only associated with malignancy and cell death, but also act as heralds of benign processes, such as cell activation and proliferation. Originally, these NMR observations were explained with a membrane lipid microdomain model. However, recent studies have identified intracellular droplets, so called lipid bodies, as important contributors to these resonances. This finding bears novel implications for our understanding and assessment of lipid biochemistry in the life and death of cells.

Animals↗

Graded reduction of cerebral blood flow in rat as detected by the nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation time T2: a theoretical and experimental approach.

The ability of transverse nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation time, T2, to reveal acutely reduced CBF was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Graded reduction of CBF was produced in rats using a modification of Pulsinelli's four-vessel occlusion model. The CBF in cerebral cortex was quantified using the hydrogen clearance method, and both T2 and the trace of the diffusion tensor (Dav = 1/3TraceD) in the adjacent cortical tissue were determined as a function of reduced CBF at 4.7 T. A previously published theory, interrelating cerebral hemodynamic parameters, hemoglobin, and oxygen metabolism with T2, was used to estimate the effects of reduced CBF on cerebral T2. The MRI data show that T2 reduces in a U-shape manner as a function of CBF, reaching a level that is 2.5 to 2.8 milliseconds (5% to 6%) below the control value at CBF, between 15% and 60% of normal. This reduction could be estimated by the theory using the literature values of cerebral blood volume, oxygen extraction ratio, and precapillary oxygen extraction during compromised CBF. Dav dropped with two apparent flow thresholds, so that a small 11% to 17% reduction occurred between CBF values of 16% to 45% of normal, followed by a precipitous collapse by more than 20% at CBF below 15% of normal. The current data show that T2 can be used as an indicator of acute hypoperfusion because of its ability to indicate blood oxygenation level-dependent phenomena on reduced CBF.

Animals↗

Reduction in water and metabolite apparent diffusion coefficients during energy failure involves cation-dependent mechanisms. A proton nuclear magnetic resonance study of rat cortical brain slices.

Proton (1H) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) diffusion spectroscopy was used to assess apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) in rat brain slices. Aglycemic hypoxia caused reductions in the ADC of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) (0.15 to 0.09 x 10(-3) mm2/s) and "slow" diffusion coefficient (D2) of tissue water (0.51 to 0.37 x 10(-3) mm2/s), together with a 32+/-11% increase in tissue water volume, attributable to tissue swelling. The ADC and D2 reductions were diminished, however, by removing external Ca2+, and under 10 mmol/L Mg2+, normoxic diffusion coefficients persisted until 40 minutes of hypoxia. The data suggest that the shift of water into the intracellular space alone cannot satisfactorily explain the reduced cerebral diffusion upon energy failure and that external Mg2+ and Ca2+ play crucial modulatory roles.

Animals↗

Early detection of irreversible cerebral ischemia in the rat using dispersion of the magnetic resonance imaging relaxation time, T1rho.

The impact of brain imaging on the assessment of tissue status is likely to increase with the advent of treatment methods for acute cerebral ischemia. Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrates potential for selecting stroke therapy patients by identifying the presence of acute ischemia, delineating the perfusion defect, and excluding hemorrhage. Yet, the identification of tissue subject to reversible or irreversible ischemia has proven to be difficult. Here, the authors show that T1 relaxation time in the rotating frame, so-called T1rho, serves as a sensitive MRI indicator of cerebral ischemia in the rat. The T1rho prolongs within minutes after a drop in the CBF of less than 22 mL 100 g(-1) min(-1). Dependence of T1rho on spin-lock amplitude, termed as T1rho dispersion, increases by approximately 20% on middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, comparable with the magnitude of diffusion reduction. The T1rho dispersion change dynamically increases to be 38% +/- 10% by the first 60 minutes of ischemia in the brain region destined to develop infarction. Following reperfusion after 45 minutes of MCA occlusion, the tissue with elevated T1rho dispersion (yet normal diffusion) develops severe histologically verified neuronal damage; thus, the former parameter unveils an irreversible condition earlier than currently available MRI methods. The T1rho dispersion as a novel MRI index of cerebral ischemia may be useful in determination of the therapeutic window for acute ischemic stroke.

Animals↗

Enhanced ornithine decarboxylase activity is associated with attenuated rate of damage evolution and reduction of infarct volume in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat.

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) transgenic and alpha-difluoromethyl ornithine (DFMO)-treated rats were exposed to transient middle cerebral occlusion (MCAO) to examine the role of intraischaemic ODC-activity on the evolution of ischaemia-reperfusion damage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data show that the damage develops slower in ODC transgenic than in DFMO-treated rats, which is not caused by a difference in perfusion. Furthermore, infarct volumes are smaller in the former animals one day later. These data support the idea of endogenous neuroprotective action of ODC.

Animals↗

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging assessment of cerebral ischemia in rat using on-resonance T(1) in the rotating frame.

Sensitivity of T(1) in the rotating frame (T(1rho)) to both transient cerebral ischemia and cortical hypoperfusion was studied in rats. T(1rho) is believed to probe water in close contact with macromolecules, revealing water spins with restricted rotational mobility relative to bulk water. It is shown that T(1rho) increases within minutes of occlusion, thereby demonstrating it as a new, sensitive indicator of ischemia. After reperfusion at 90 minutes of middle cerebral artery occlusion, T(1rho) remains elevated or increases in tissue destined to neuronal damage but returns to the normal level if no neuronal damage develops within 24 hours. T(1rho) determined during the first 2 hours of reperfusion shows a significant positive correlation with the ultimate neuronal damage score. However, T(1rho) is not affected by acute hypoperfusion. These data show that, by combining three magnetic resonance imaging coefficients, i.e. T(1rho), T(2), and diffusion, viable hypoperfused areas that do not develop neuronal damage within 24 hours can be distinguished correctly from tissue already destined for neuronal damage. Magn Reson Med 42:268-276, 1999.

Animals↗

Venous blood effects in spin-echo fMRI of human brain.

The spin-echo response to visual activation was studied as a function of spatial resolution at a field of 1.5 T. The results showed that the increase in absolute T(2) upon activation was as large as 22.8 +/- 3.1% (P < 0.05) at the highest resolution (5.3 mm(3)), while it was as small as 3.5 +/- 0.2% (P < 0.05) at the lowest resolution (42.2 mm(3)). In addition, upon increasing resolution, the spin-echo signal decay as a function of echo time changed from monoexponential to nonexponential. These data indicate that, when using the standard resolution for fMRI studies at 1.5 T, the effects of spin-echo changes in the draining veins are of major contribution to the total blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes measured in voxels encompassing the activated brain areas. The data can be quantitatively accounted for using a model based on the intravascular origin of the spin-echo effect including both macrovascular and microvascular effects. Existing theories for the spin-echo BOLD effect based on diffusion through field gradients predict negligible spin-echo effects inside the large vessels and are therefore incompatible with the data. Magn Reson Med 42:617-626, 1999.

Brain↗

Diagnostic assessment of brain tumours and non-neoplastic brain disorders in vivo using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and artificial neural networks.

PURPOSE: Experiments were carried out to assess the potential of artificial neural network (ANN) analysis in the differential diagnosis of brain tumours (low- and high-grade gliomas) from non-neoplastic focal brain lesions (tuberculomas and abscesses), using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) as input data. METHODS: Single-voxel stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) (echo time of 20 ms) spectra were acquired from 138 subjects including 15 with low-grade gliomas, 47 with high-grade gliomas, 18 with tuberculomas, 18 with abscesses and 40 healthy controls. Two neural networks were constructed using the spectral points from 0.6 to 3.4 parts per million. In the first network construction, the ANN had to differentiate between tumours from infections, while the second network had to differentiate between all five histological classes. RESULTS: ANN analysis gave a histologically correct diagnosis for low- and high-grade gliomas with an accuracy of 73% and 98% respectively. None of the 62 tumours was diagnosed as an infectious lesion. Among the non-neoplastic lesions, ANN classification was correct in 89% of tuberculomas and in 83% of brain abscesses. The specificity of ANN diagnosis was 98%, 92%, 99%, and 100% for low-grade gliomas, high-grade gliomas, tuberculomas and abscesses respectively. CONCLUSION: The present data show the clinical utility of non-invasive 1H MRS by automated ANN analysis in the diagnosis of tumour and non-tumour cerebral disorders.

Adolescent↗

In vivo determination of absolute cerebral blood volume using hemoglobin as a natural contrast agent: an MRI study using altered arterial carbon dioxide tension.

The ability of the magnetic resonance imaging transverse relaxation time, R2 = 1/T2, to quantify cerebral blood volume (CBV) without the need for an exogenous contrast agent was studied in cats (n = 7) under pentobarbital anesthesia. This approach is possible because R2 is directly affected by changes in CBF, CBV, CMRO2, and hematocrit (Hct), a phenomena better known as the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) effect. Changes in CBF and CBV were accomplished by altering the carbon dioxide pressure, PaCO2, over a range from 20 to 140 mm Hg. For each PaCO2 value, R2 in gray and white matter were determined using MRI, and the whole-brain oxygen extraction ratio was obtained from arteriovenous differences (sagittal sinus catheter). Assuming a constant CMRO2, the microvascular CBV was obtained from an exact fit to the BOLD theory for the spin-echo effect. The resulting CBV values at normal PaCO2 and normalized to a common total hemoglobin concentration of 6.88 mmol/L were 42+/-18 microL/g (n = 7) and 29+/-19 microL/g (n = 5) for gray and white matter, respectively, in good agreement with the range of literature values published using independent methodologies. The present study confirms the validity of the spin-echo BOLD theory and, in addition, shows that blood volume can be quantified from the magnetic resonance imaging spin relaxation rate R2 using a regulated carbon dioxide experiment.

Animals↗