Cranial irradiation-induced impairment of axonal transport and sexual function in male rats and imaging of the olfactory pathway by MRI

•MRI of the olfactory pathway can be used to evaluate axonal transport impairment in RIBI models.•Cranial irradiation-induced sexual dysfunction was associated with decreased sex hormone levels secondary to hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis injury.•AT deficits secondary to radiation damage are the result of multiple factors.