Manganese-enhanced MRI to evaluate neurodegenerative changes in a rat model of kainic acid-induced excitotoxicity.

Purpose: Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) has been used to detect brain activity based on the ability of active neurons to take up manganese ions through calcium channels. Kainic acid (KA), an analog of excitotoxic glutamate, can elicit selective neuronal death in the brains of rodents, of which the pathological changes partially mimic neurodegeneration in the central nervous system. We used in vivo MEMRI to evaluate neurodegenerative changes in an excitotoxicity model induced by KA in rats.