A Safety Study of the Effects of 2‐Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography on Synaptic Morphologic Characteristics and Function in the Hippocampus of Neonatal Mice

Abstract

Objectives-The aim of this study was to determine the effects of 2-dimensional (2D) shear wave elastography (SWE) on synaptic morphologic characteristics and function in the neonatal mouse hippocampus and whether it affects the capacity for learning and memory later in life. Methods-We divided neonatal mice into a control group and a 2D SWE group scanned for 10, 20, or 30 minutes. Hippocampal morphologic characteristics were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin and Nissl staining. Ultrastructures of hippocampal neurons were visualized by electron microscopy. Protein and messenger RNA expression levels of synaptophysin, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR1), NMDAR2A, and NMDAR2B were quantified by a western blot and polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Learning and memory of adult mice were evaluated by the Morris water maze and the novel object recognition task. Results-Compared with the control group, the hippocampal morphologic characteristics of the experimental groups did not differ under light microscopy, and the synaptic structures assessed by electron microscopy appeared normal. Western blot and polymerase chain reaction results showed that expression of synaptophysin, NMDAR1, NMDAR2A, and NMDAR2B were downregulated after exposure to 2D SWE, but there were no statistical differences between the experimental groups. This downregulation disappeared within 24 hours. The results of the Morris water maze and novel object recognition suggested that the 2D SWE scanning on neonatal mice had no effect on learning and memory in adulthood. Conclusions-This study demonstrated that when the mice were exposed to neonatal cranial ultrasound by 2D SWE lasting for longer than 10 minutes, the expression of genes involved in synaptic function was affected, but this effect lasted no longer than 24 hours and did not affect learning and memory in adulthood.

Brain contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and elastography in infants

“…Further work will be needed to reproduce the clinical scan conditions, which likely consist of a scan duration of seconds to less than a few minutes, and in larger animal models mimicking the gyral morphology and size of an infant brain. In another study, transient elevations in the expression of genes involved in synaptic function in the hippocampus were observed in mice subjected to 10 minutes of elastography scanning [ 75 ]. However, those effects were transient, without observable changes in expression levels or behavior at 24 hours.…”