Characterisation of the antidepressant properties of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors in the olfactory bulbectomised rat model of depression

Detection of volume alterations in hippocampal subfields of rats under chronic unpredictable mild stress using 7T MRI: A follow‐up study

“…A few studies have revealed a decrease in hippocampal volume of depression rat models using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique . Kalisch et al reported a positive relationship between hippocampal volume and trait anxiety.…”

In vivo measurement of T1 and T2 relaxation times in awake pigeon and rat brains at 7T

“…In the present 7T study, we have used a CPMG sequence with 10.73‐ms interpulse interval. Studies in humans and animals have reported that T 2 values measured in brain tissue using CPMG sequences are dependent on the refocusing interval due to dynamic dephasing caused by the strong magnetic field gradients created by deoxygenated blood in veins and eventual iron/ferritin deposits. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that the T 2 values reported in the present study correspond to the so‐called apparent T 2 , as defined in .…”

Recent Advances in Translational Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Animal Models of Stress and Depression

“…Decreased cerebral perfusion was observed in the striatum and pre-limbic cortex of WKY rats compared to Wistar controls and interestingly, cerebral perfusion correlated with GFAP-positive cell number such that increased GFAP expression corresponded with increased cerebral perfusion (Gormley et al, 2016). In contrast no alterations in regional cerebral perfusion were reported in the OB rat model of depression (Gigliucci et al, 2014), again highlighting that many MR markers associated with depressed phenotypes may be “model” or patient specific.…”

“…Alterations in T1 and T2 relaxation times can provide information about tissue characteristics and increased T2 relaxation times were evident in the hippocampus of WKY rats compared to Wistar controls (Gormley et al, 2016), a finding that may be linked to oedema or changes in vascular permeability. Work in our group has also investigated MRI changes in the olfactory bulbectomized rat (OB) and showed opposite changes with reductions in T2 relaxation times in the hippocampus, visual cortex and left retrosplenial cortex (Gigliucci et al, 2014). This highlights the heterogeneity of animal models and may indicate alterations in relaxation times could be linked to specific phenotypes.…”

“…Furthermore, this emphasizes the importance of selecting an appropriate animal model as the OB rat may be more related to anxiety rather than depressive-like behaviors. Structural analysis revealed a trend toward increased ventricular volume in OB rats however no changes in hippocampal volume were observed (Gigliucci et al, 2014). Reductions in T2 relaxation times have been linked to microglial activation and also increased cell packing density in the brain parenchyma (Ding et al, 2008; Blau et al, 2012).…”