Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging measurements of water diffusion in the perfused hippocampal slice during N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced excitotoxicity

Significant changes in the apparent diffusion coefficient of water are observed in nuclear magnetic resonance images of patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, the underlying mechanisms of these apparent diffusion coefficient changes are still unresolved. To analyse possible mechanisms, this study applies nuclear magnetic resonance imaging on a 14.1Tesla narrow-bore magnet to quantitatively study water diffusion in individually perfused brain slices following exposure to N-methyl-D-aspartate excitotoxicity. The results indicate that brain slices have at least two distinct diffusing water compartments with apparent diffusion coefficients of 0.96±0.10x10-3mm2/s and 0.06±0.01x10-3mm2/s. When excitotoxicity was induced with N-methyl-D-aspartate, there was a significant decrease in the fraction of the fast diffusing water component in the slices (P