This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) is a gradual deterioration of the disc between the vertebrae and may be a cause of lower back pain in adults. Early DDD is characterized by a loss of matrix constituents such as proteoglycans (PG) in the nucleus pulposus (NP) region of the intervertebral disc. Sodium content in cartilage tissue correlates with proteoglycan content and can provide a natural biomarker for tissue degeneration and Sodium MRI may serve as an imaging biomarker for DDD. In this study, we demonstrate the potential for quantifying early degeneration in the disc by quantifying sodium in the NP in ex vivo disc specimens as well as in human subjects in vivo via MRI.
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