Early MR diffusion and relaxation changes in the parahippocampal gyrus precede the onset of spontaneous seizures in an animal model of chronic limbic epilepsy

Structural changes in limbic regions are often observed in individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and in animal models. However, the brain structural changes during the evolution into epilepsy remain largely unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to define the temporal changes in limbic structures after experimental status epilepticus (SE) during the latency period of epileptogenesis in vivo, with quantitative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and T2 relaxometry in an animal model of chronic TLE. A pair of fifty micron electrodes was implanted into the ventral hippocampus in twelve male adult rats. Self-sustaining SE was induced with electrical stimulation in eleven rats. Three rats served as age-matched controls. In vivo diffusion tensor and T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at 11.1 Tesla, pre- and post-implantation of electrodes and 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, 40 and 60 days post-SE to assess structural changes. Spontaneous seizures were identified with continuous time-locked video-monitoring. Following imaging in vivo, fixed, excised brains were MR imaged at 17.6 Tesla. Subsequently, histological analysis was correlated with MRI results. Following SE, 8/11 injured rats developed spontaneous seizures. Unique to these 8 rats, early T2, diffusivity and anisotropy changes were observed in vivo within the parahippocampal gyrus (contralateral) and fimbria (bilateral). In excised brains, bilateral increase in anisotropy was observed in the dentate gyrus, corresponding to mossy fiber sprouting as determined by Timm staining. Using T2 relaxometry and DTI, specific transient and long-term structural changes were observed only in rats that developed spontaneous limbic seizures.