Characterizing the Neuroimaging and Histopathological Correlates of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in Spontaneously Hypertensive Stroke-Prone Rats

This study uses a rat model to understand cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), a condition affecting small blood vessels in the brain. Researchers looked at how the disease progresses over time using brain imaging (MRI) and tissue samples. The study found that as the rats aged, the ones with hypertension (SHRSP) developed brain changes similar to those seen in humans with CSVD, including small areas of damage and changes in brain volume. The findings suggest that this rat model can be useful for testing new treatments for CSVD because the brain changes can be seen on MRI, allowing researchers to track the disease's progress.

• 1
  SHRSP showed a significantly higher prevalence of small subcortical hyperintensities on T2w imaging that progressed in size and frequency with aging compared to WKY controls.
• 2
  Volumetric analysis revealed smaller intracranial and white matter volumes on brain MRI in SHRSP compared to age-matched WKY.
• 3
  Distinct pathological hallmarks of CSVD, such as enlarged perivascular spaces, microbleeds/red blood cell extravasation, hemosiderin deposits, and lipohyalinosis/vascular wall thickening progressively accumulated with age in SHRSP.