Abstract

A major objective in the treatment of Alzheimers disease is amyloid plaque reduction. Transgenic mouse models of Alzheimers disease provide a controlled and consistent environment for studying amyloid plaque deposition in Alzheimers disease. Magnetic resonance imaging is an attractive tool for longitudinal studies because it offers noninvasive monitoring of amyloid plaques. Recent studies have demonstrated the ability of magnetic resonance imaging to detect individual plaques in living mice. This review discusses the mouse models, MR pulse sequences, and parameters that have been used to image plaques and how they can be optimized for future studies.

Keywords: MR microscopy, Alzheimer's disease, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance micro imaging, transgenic mice, amyloid, APP/PS1, SWI