Li Chun-Xia, Zhang Xiaodong
EPC Imaging Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Vet Sci. 2025 Mar 3;12(3):231. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12030231.
Early neurological deterioration is associated with poor functional outcomes in stroke patients, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to understand the progression of stroke-related brain damage using a rhesus monkey model with ischemic occlusion. Multiparameter MRI was used to monitor the progressive evolution of the brain lesion following stroke. Resting-state functional MRI, dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and T1- and T2-weighted scans were acquired prior to surgery and at 4-6 h, 48 h, and 96 h following the stroke. The results revealed a sudden increase in infarction volume after the hyper-acute phase but before 48 h on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), with a slight extension by 96 h. Lower relative cerebral blood flow (CBF) and time to maximum (Tmax) prior to the stroke, along with a progressive decrease post-stroke, were observed when compared to other stroke monkeys in the same cohort. Functional connectivity (FC) in the ipsilesional secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) and primary motor cortex (M1) exhibited an immediate decline on Day 0 compared to baseline and followed by a slight increase on Day 2 and a further decrease on Day 4. These findings provide valuable insights into infarction progression, emphasizing the critical role of collateral circulation and its impact on early neurological deterioration during acute stroke.
早期神经功能恶化与中风患者不良的功能预后相关，但潜在机制仍不清楚。本研究旨在利用恒河猴缺血性闭塞模型了解中风相关脑损伤的进展情况。采用多参数磁共振成像（MRI）监测中风后脑损伤的渐进演变。在手术前以及中风后的4 - 6小时、48小时和96小时获取静息态功能MRI、动态磁敏感对比灌注MRI、扩散张量成像以及T1加权和T2加权扫描图像。结果显示，在超急性期后但在48小时之前，扩散加权成像（DWI）上梗死体积突然增加，到96小时时有轻微扩大。与同一队列中的其他中风猴子相比，该猴子在中风前脑血流量（CBF）相对较低，达峰时间（Tmax）较短，中风后呈逐渐下降趋势。与基线相比，患侧次级体感皮层（S2）和初级运动皮层（M1）的功能连接（FC）在第0天立即下降，随后在第2天略有增加，在第4天进一步下降。这些发现为梗死进展提供了有价值的见解，强调了侧支循环在急性中风期间对早期神经功能恶化的关键作用及其影响。
