Chinese Journal of Magnetic Resonance ›› 2026, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (2): 175-185.doi: 10.11938/cjmr20253177cstr: 32225.14.cjmr20253177

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study on the Microstructure Abnormalities of Striatal White Matter in Type 2 Diabetic Mellitus Rats

CAI Yue1,2,*(), WANG Xuxia1,2, LIU Sijie1,2, GUO Haodong1,2, CHEN Xi1,2, CHENG Linlin1,3, KANG Yan1,2, LIN Fuchun1,2   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging, Wuhan Center for Magnetic Resonance, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Wuhan 430071, China
    2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3 Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
  • Received:2025-07-23 Published:2026-06-05 Online:2025-09-08
  • Contact: CAI Yue E-mail:caiyue192@mails.ucas.ac.cn

Abstract:

This study aims to explore the structural changes in white matter and the physiological mechanisms in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. A T2DM model was established by 8 weeks of high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of a dose of 30 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). 4 weeks after modeling, visual analysis of white matter in rats was performed by MRI, and the physiological mechanism of MRI index changes was further explained by immunohistology. The results showed that the striatal white matter volume decreased, the fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) and axial diffusivity (AD) decreased, and radial diffusivity (RD) increased in T2DM rats. Immunostain of phosphorylated neurofilament (SMI-31) and myelin basic protein (MBP) indicated axonal damage and demyelination of striatum in T2DM rats. In conclusion, the striatal injury in T2DM rats was observed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and abnormal DTI index may be a manifestation of striatal axonal damage and demyelination, which can potentially be used as surrogates for evaluating diabetic brain injuries.

Key words: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), striatum, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)

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