MR imaging of postischemic neuronal death in the substantia nigra and thalamus following middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats

The goal of this study was to investigate apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T2 relaxation time (T2) in the substantia nigra and thalamus after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats. In the substantia nigra ipsilateral to infarct, ADC was significantly lower and T2 was significantly higher on the third and fourth days, but they did not change significantly on the first, second, eighth and 15th days. In the ipsilateral thalamus, ADC and T2 did not change significantly between the first and fourth days, but were significantly lower on the eighth and 15th days. This combination of MR findings suggested that secondary degeneration in the thalamus was different from that in the substantia nigra. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.