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Abstract #2314

White-Matter Diffusion fMRI in the Healthy Mouse Optic Nerve

William M. Spees1, 2, Tsen-Hsuan Lin3, Sheng-Kwei Song1, 2

1Department of Radiology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, United States; 2Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, United States; 3Department of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, United States


Recently, we have implemented diffusion fMRI and demonstrated its utility for detecting white-matter axonal activation in the optic nerve of healthy mice. A robust (27%) and completely reversible stimulus-induced decrease in the apparent diffusion coefficient perpendicular to the axonal fibers was observed with the application of a flashing-light visual stimulus. The change in ADC parallel to the axonal fibers was not statistically significant. The results of hypercapnia experiments suggest minimal contribution from vascular effects.