Temporal Changes in In Vivo Glutamate Signal during Demyelination and Remyelination in the Corpus Callosum: A Glutamate-Weighted Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer Imaging Study

Background: Glutamate-weighted chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST) is a useful imaging tool that can be used to detect changes in glutamate levels in vivo and could also be helpful in the diagnosis of brain myelin changes. We investigated glutamate level changes in the cerebral white matter of a rat model of cuprizone-administered demyelination and remyelination using GluCEST. Method: We used a 7 T pre-clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. The rats were divided into the normal control (CTRL), cuprizone-administered demyelination (CPZ(DM)), and remyelination (CPZ(RM)) groups. GluCEST data were analyzed using the conventional magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry in the corpus callosum. Immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy analyses were also performed to investigate the myelinated axon changes in each group. Results: The quantified GluCEST signals differed significantly between the CPZ(DM) and CTRL groups (−7.25 ± 1.42% vs. −2.84 ± 1.30%; p = 0.001). The increased GluCEST signals in the CPZ(DM) group decreased after remyelination (−6.52 ± 1.95% in CPZ(RM)) to levels that did not differ significantly from those in the CTRL group (p = 0.734). Conclusion: The apparent temporal signal changes in GluCEST imaging during demyelination and remyelination demonstrated the potential usefulness of GluCEST imaging as a tool to monitor the myelination process.