NMDA receptor antagonism by repetitive MK801 administration induces schizophrenia-like structural changes in the rat brain as revealed by voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging

• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.02.043
• Publication Date: 2016-02-23T04:06:34Z
• Authors: H. Wu; X. Wang; Y. Gao; F. Lin; T. Song; Y. Zou; L. Xu; H. Lei
• Keywords: Male; Brain; Myelin Basic Protein; Immunohistochemistry; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; 3. Good health; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Disease Models, Animal; Random Allocation; 03 medical and health sciences; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Parvalbumins; 0302 clinical medicine; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Schizophrenia; Animals; Atrophy; Dizocilpine Maleate; Gray Matter; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists

Animal models of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonism have been widely used for schizophrenia research. Less is known whether these models are associated with macroscopic brain structural changes that resemble those in clinical schizophrenia.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure brain structural changes in rats subjected to repeated administration of MK801 in a regimen (daily dose of 0.2mg/kg for 14 consecutive days) known to be able to induce schizophrenia-like cognitive impairments.Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) revealed significant gray matter (GM) atrophy in the hippocampus, ventral striatum (vStr) and cortex. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) demonstrated microstructural impairments in the corpus callosum (cc). Histopathological results corroborated the MRI findings.Treatment-induced behavioral abnormalities were not measured such that correlation between the brain structural changes observed and schizophrenia-like behaviors could not be established.Chronic MK801 administration induces MRI-observable brain structural changes that are comparable to those observed in schizophrenia patients, supporting the notion that NMDAR hypofunction contributes to the pathology of schizophrenia. Imaging-derived brain structural changes in animal models of NMDAR antagonism may be useful measurements for studying the effects of treatments and interventions targeting schizophrenia.