Ultra-High Field Sodium MRI to Assess Longitudinal Sodium Dysfunction in a Preclinical Transgenic Alzheimer's Disease Model

Motivation: Ionic dysfunction may be occurring in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) but there is little to no published data on this subject. An understanding of potential sodium dysfunction will assist in assessing progressive dementia and potential early intervention points. Goal(s): Our goal was to evaluate sodium dysfunction longitudinally in a transgenic AD rodent model. Approach: 3D FID-based 23Na CSI scans were acquired at 21.1 T in TG animals and wildtype littermates from 2-18 months. Results: Sodium concentrations fluctuate with age and region within the brain. The TG model appears to follow similar trends to the WT overall but are more muted and have higher variance. Impact: Sodium concentrations fluctuate with age and region within the brain. The AD model appears to follow similar trends to the WT overall but are muted, with greater variance and generally higher early signals, underscoring the diagnostic potential of sodium MRI.