Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2014, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (17): 1616-1620.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.141789

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Methylmercury chloride damage to the adult rat hippocampus cannot be detected by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Zhiyan Lu 1, Jinwei Wu 1, 2, Guangyuan Cheng 1, Jianying Tian 3, Zeqing Lu 4, Yongyi Bi 5   

  1. 1 Department of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
    2 Department of Radiology, Hainan Provincial Nongken Hospital, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
    3 Department of Anatomy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China
    4 School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, MN, USA
    5 School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
  • Received:2014-06-18 Online:2014-09-16 Published:2014-09-16
  • Contact: Yongyi Bi, Ph.D., School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei Province, China, yongyib@aliyun.com.
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81060231, 81160338; Hubei Province Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 2013CFB277.

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Abstract:

Previous studies have found that methylmercury can damage hippocampal neurons and accordingly cause cognitive dysfunction. However, a non-invasive, safe and accurate detection method for detecting hippocampal injury has yet to be developed. This study aimed to detect methylmercury-induced damage on hippocampal tissue using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Rats were given a subcutaneous injection of 4 and 2 mg/kg methylmercury into the neck for 50 consecutive days. Water maze and pathology tests confirmed that cognitive function had been impaired and that the ultrastructure of hippocampal tissue was altered after injection. The results of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that the nitrogen-acetyl aspartate/creatine, choline complex/creatine and myoinositol/creatine ratio in rat hippocampal tissue were unchanged. Therefore, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy can not be used to determine structural damage in the adult rat hippocampus caused by methylmercury chloride.

Key words: nerve regeneration, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, methylmercury chloride, cognitive dysfunction, hippocampus, behavior, pathology, NSFC grant, neural regeneration