Abstract #0223

Wu C, Koretsky A, Dodd S

The cerebral cortex is divided into areas based on cytoarchitectonics, according to the thickness of cortical layers and neuronal density. A shortcoming of present cytoarchitectonic techniques is they require histology on fixed and sectioned tissue. Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) has proven useful for visualizing anatomical structures, neuronal connections and activity in the brain in vivo. In the present study, we demonstrate that MEMRI can also be used to delineate cortical areas and visualize subcortical structures. The implication of the study enables noninvasive imaging to study the organization and functions of normal and pathological brains.