Autopsy Imaging of 3 Tesla MRI of Neurodegenerative Disorders: Neuropathologic‐Neuroradiologic Correlations

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the correlation between neuropathology and autopsy images (AIs) using newly‐introduced 3‐Tesla (3T) MRI. Methods: In the six cases here under investigation‐‐two amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), two spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD), a dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and a mild cognitive impairment (MCI)‐‐AIs of 3T MRI (GE Signa) were administered just before each autopsy using T1, T2, FLAIR and T2*. Fixed brains were dissected at the exact same levels of AIs of MRI. Sections were stained using conventional and immunohistochemical methods. Results: Clear MRI images of the brain and spinal cord without motion and pulsation artifacts were obtained. In ALSs, neuropathology showed degeneration of the anterior horn cells and pyramidal tracts. MRI demonstrated those pathologic alterations as the atrophy and hyperintense lesions of the pyramidal tract in the spinal cord and the brainstem. In SCDs, the atrophy of the brainstem and cerebellum exactly corresponded to the results of MRI. In MCI, numerous neurofibrillary tangles and neuropil treads were seen in the hippocampal formation that was atrophic on MRI. Although Lewy bodies were present in the neocortex and brainstem in DLB, only mild cerebral atrophy was seen by MRI. Conclusions: Since AIs of 3T‐MRI reflect the final conditions of the central nervous system, this method may enable us to analyze neuropathologic alterations, precisely.