title: MR microscopy and high resolution small animal MRI: applications in neuroscience research.
abstract: The application of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the study of human disease using small animals has steadily evolved over the past two decades and strongly established the fields of "small animal MR imaging" and "MR microscopy." An increasing number of neuroscience related investigations now implement MR microscopy in their experiments. Research areas of growth pertaining to MR microscopy studies are focused on (1). phenotyping of genetically engineered mice models of human neurological diseases and (2). rodent brain atlases. MR microscopy can be performed in vitro on tissue specimens, ex vivo on brain slice preparations and in vivo (typically on rodents). Like most new imaging technologies, MR microscopy is technologically demanding and requires broad expertise. Uniform guidelines or "standards" of a given MR microscopy experiment are non-existent. The main focus therefore of this review will be on biological applications of MR microscopy and the experimental requirements. We also take a critical look at the biological information that small animal (rodent) MR imaging has provided in neuroscience research.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Building 490, 30 Bell Avenue, Upton, NY 11793, USA. benveniste@bnl.gov
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Benveniste
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blackband
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001271:Atlases as Topic; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003287:Contrast Media; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005404:Fixatives; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012377:Rodentia / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D016707:Tissue Fixation
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D005404:Fixatives