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Fig 2. Axial ex vivo MR imaging scans of contused rat spinal cord. Axial sections of ex vivo MR imaging show microscopy grade visualization of morphologic changes in the injured rat spinal cord 4 weeks after contusion injury at midthoracic level (2D multisection spin-echo; section thickness, 300 µm; FOV, 6 x 6 mm; in-plane resolution, 23 x 23 µm; TE, 7.5 milliseconds; TR, 2 seconds). Scale bar, 1 mm. Panels A–L show consecutive sections in the rostral-caudal direction. In rats the dorsal columns contain not only ascending proprioceptive projections, which are located in the dorsal half of the dorsal column. The crossed corticospinal tract projects in the ventral half of the dorsal columns, unlike humans, where most corticospinal axons are located in the lateral columns. A–F, In sections rostral to the contusion site, the spinal cord morphology is still maintained with a clear differentiation of white and gray matter. Note the hypointensity in the dorsal part of the dorsal columns (arrowheads) identical to ascending proprioceptive projections. G–I, At the lesion center, the spinal cord diameter is reduced and gray and white matter can no longer be separated. Hypointensities located in the center (G) reflect hemosiderin deposits. J–L, Caudal to the lesion, the gray-white matter contrast is preserved. Both in rostral and caudal scans (B–D and J–L) hyperintense signals are found in the dorsal columns consistent with cystic defects (see also Fig 3). Hypointensities in axial scans rostral to the lesion correspond to ascending sensory projections, whereas in caudal scans they represent the area of the corticospinal tract (J–L, arrowheads).
