Manisha Aggarwal1, Susumu Mori1,
Tomomi Shimogori2, Seth Blackshaw3, Jiangyang Zhang1
1Russell H. Morgan Department of
Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 2RIKEN Brain Science
Institute, Saitama, Japan; 3The Solomon H. Snyder Department of
Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD,
United States
Diffusion
tensor imaging (DTI) can reveal superior contrasts than relaxation-based MRI
in premyelinated developing mouse brains. Current challenges for the
application of DTI to mouse brain imaging at microscopic levels include the
limitation on the achievable spatial resolution. In this study, high
resolution rapid DT-microimaging of the embryonic and adult mouse brains (up
to 50-60 m) based on a 3D diffusion-weighted gradient and spin echo (DW-GRASE)
scheme with twin-navigator echo phase correction is presented. We also
demonstrate successful 3D mappings of gene expression data from in situ
hybridization to high resolution DTI images in the early embryonic mouse
brain.
Keywords