Published papers

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the feasibility of q-space imaging (QSI) as a method of assessing the depth of mural invasion, histologic grade, and the presence of lymph node metastasis in gastric carcinomas. Methods: A 7.0 Tesla MR imaging system was used to investigate 20 gastric specimens containing a carcinoma. QSI was performed by using the following parameters: 50-60 mm × 25-30 mm field of view, 2-mm section thickness, 256 × 128 matrix, 10 b values in the 0-7163 s/mm2 range, which corresponded to q values of 0-1026/cm, and motion-probing gradients perpendicular to the gastric wall. The MR images and the histopathologic findings were then compared. Results: The depth of tumor invasion of the gastric wall in all 20 carcinomas (100%) was established by using mean displacement, zero-displacement probability, and kurtosis maps. The QSI parameters were significantly correlated with the histologic grades of the gastric carcinomas (all P<0.001). The QSI parameters made it possible to differentiate between metastatic and nonmetastatic lymph nodes (all P=0.001). Conclusion: Ex vivo QSI facilitates excellent diagnostics for evaluating gastric carcinomas in terms of mural invasion, histologic grade, and the presence of lymph node metastasis.

Previous studies have demonstrated that transplantation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) into the lesioned spinal cord can promote functional recovery following incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) in animal models. However, this strategy is insufficient following complete SCI because of the gap at the lesion epicenter. To obtain functional recovery in a mouse model of complete SCI, this study uses a novel collagen-based microfiber as a scaffold for engrafted NS/PCs. We hypothesized that the NS/PC-microfiber combination would facilitate lesion closure as well as transplant survival in the transected spinal cord. NS/PCs were seeded inside the novel microfibers, where they maintained their capacity to differentiate and proliferate. After transplantation, the stumps of the transected spinal cord were successfully bridged by the NS/PC-laden microfibers. Moreover, the transplanted cells migrated into the host spinal cord and differentiated into three neural lineages (astrocytes, neurons, and oligodendrocytes). However, the NS/PC-laden scaffold could not achieve a neural connection between the rostral end of the injury and the intact caudal area of the spinal cord, nor could it achieve recovery of motor function. To obtain optimal functional recovery, a microfiber design with a modified composition may be useful. Furthermore, combinatorial therapy with rehabilitation and/or medications should also be considered for practical success of biomaterial/cell transplantation-based approaches to regenerative medicine.

Activity-dependent gene regulation in neurons has been hypothesized to be under transcriptional control and to include dramatic increases in immediate early genes (IEGs) after neuronal activity. In addition, several reports have focused on post-transcriptional regulation, which could be mediated by neuronal post-transcriptional regulators, including RNA binding proteins (RNABPs). One such protein family is the neuronal Elavls (nElavls; Elavl2, Elavl3, and Elavl4), whose members are widely expressed in peripheral and central nervous system. Previous reports showed that Elavl3 and 4 are up-regulated following repeated stimulation such as during cocaine administration, a seizure, or a spatial discrimination task. In this study, we focused on Elavl2, a candidate gene for schizophrenia and studied its role in neuronal activity. First we found that Elavl2 has a cell-type specific expression pattern that is highly expressed in hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons and hilar interneurons using Elavl2 specific antibody. Second, unexpectedly, we discovered that the Elavl2 protein level in the hippocampus was acutely down-regulated for 3 h after a kainic acid (KA)-induced seizure in the hippocampal CA3 region. In addition, level of Gap43 mRNA, a target mRNA of Elavl2 is decreased 12 h after KA treatment, thus suggesting the involvement of Elavl2 in activity-dependent RNA regulation.

Movement dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) is caused by the degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Here, we established a method for voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and automatic tissue segmentation of the marmoset monkey brain using a 7-T animal scanner and applied the method to assess DA degeneration in a PD model, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated animals, with tyrosine-hydroxylase staining. The most significant decreases of local tissue volume were detected in the bilateral SN of MPTP-treated marmoset brains (-53.0% in right and -46.5% in left) and corresponded with the location of DA neurodegeneration found in histology (-65.4% in right). In addition to the SN, the decreases were also confirmed in the locus coeruleus, and lateral hypothalamus. VBM using 7-T MRI was effective in detecting volume loss in the SN of the PD-model marmoset. This study provides a potential basis for the application of VBM with ultra-high field MRI in the clinical diagnosis of PD. The developed method may also offer value in automatic whole-brain evaluation of structural changes for the marmoset monkey.