Early Neuroanatomical Development of the Mouse Brain Characterized by Diffusion Tensor Microimaging

Manisha Aggarwal¹, Susumu Mori¹, Jiangyang Zhang¹

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can reveal superior contrasts than relaxation-based MRI in premyelinated developing mouse brains. In order to image the evolving embryonic mouse neuroanatomy at miniature spatial scales, high spatial resolution is necessary. In this study, three dimensional diffusion tensor microimaging (DTMI) of the developing mouse brain from embryonic to neonatal stages at an isotropic resolution of 50 μm is presented. At this resolution, very fine anatomical details in the embryonic brains could be resolved to allow visualization of the evolving neuroanatomy, and three dimensional growth trajectories of early developing white matter tracts could be delineated, which are difficult to resolve at lower resolutions.