1Laboratory
of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong,
Hong Kong SAR, China; 2Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Manganese enhanced MRI (MEMRI) is effective for studying brain activity, tracing neuronal pathways and layer-specific cortical microstructures , but the invasiveness of Mn administration methods may cause neuropathological changes, contaminating in vivo MEMRI investigation of neural functions. This study demonstrated a surface diffusion method as a less invasive alternative with similar signal intensity enhancement efficiency to the intracortical injection methods previously employed in MEMRI. Besides reducing disturbance to the physiology of the injection site, this method also allows large dosage application for tracing long-distance connections, e.g. corticospinal pathway. One application is studying brain connectivity and its functional modulation.