Figure 2

Temporal changes in MRI heterogeneity. A: Representative images of dystrophic (mdx) mouse hindlimb muscles over time. The mouse was scanned in increments of about 4 weeks, throughout the course of 20 months, starting at 5 weeks of age. Changes in the shape of the legs are a consequence of the custom-designed apparatus used to stabilize them. B: Line graph shows the percent of heterogeneity for each time point. Heterogeneity reaches its peak around 9 and 13 weeks of age, just after the early critical period of the mdx mouse. Interestingly, the drop in heterogeneity of the T₂ signal remains relatively stable through 80 weeks of age. Timeline gaps are indicated by breaks in the axis.