In Vivo Brain Phenotypes of the Reeler Mutant Mouse by Using DT-MRI and MEMRI

Laura-Adela Harsan¹, Csaba David², Dominik Paul¹, Susanne Schnell¹, Jrgen Hennig¹, Jochen F. Staiger², Dominik von Elverfeldt¹

In the present study, the brain cytoarchitecture of the Reeler mutant mouse was visualized by using MEMRI while the neural connectivity was depicted in-vivo and non-invasively by DT-MRI. Disorganization of the neuronal layers was clearly visible in cortical structures of the Reeler brain. In-vivo DT-MRI and fiber tracking showed distorted axonal pathways when compared to wild type brain. Particularly, Reeler mice have poorly compacted thalamic axonal bundles that project abnormally into the cortical structures. Furthermore, color-coded maps evidenced abnormalities at the level of the cingulum structure in Reeler mice and depicted the failure in the cerebellar cortex lamination.