Longitudinal changes of in vivo Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) in the 3xTg-AD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Motivation: To investigate the longitudinal change of in vivo QSM of 3xTg-AD mice, age matched wile-type (WT) mice were used as a reference group. Goal(s): The regional variation of in vivo QSM in 3xTg-AD mice, and how they change with ageing. To investigate the sensitivity of in vivo QSM to the pathophysiological changes in 3xTg-AD mice. Approach: The 3xTg-AD and WT mice with 22 and 40 weeks old were scanned. A 3D multi-echo gradient echo sequence (mGRE) was acquired for the quantification of QSM. Results: Notable differences in QSM values were observed between various brain regions across ages and genotypes. Impact: The in vivo QSM of the mouse brain can be obtained within approximately 21 minutes of scanning time. Significant variations were observed between different age groups and genotypes in various brain regions closely associated with the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease.