title: Magnetic resonance imaging of tissue and vascular layers in the cat retina.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the visual resolution of multiple cell and vascular "layers" in the cat retina using MRI.
  
  
  METHODS
  T2- and diffusion-weighted MRI at 4.7 Tesla was performed. Layer-specific thickness, T2, spin density, apparent diffusion coefficient perpendicular (ADC(perpendicular)) and parallel (ADC(parallel)) to the retinal surface were tabulated. T1-weighted MRI was acquired before and after intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA and subtraction images were obtained. Histology was performed for validation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three distinct "layers" were observed. The inner strip nearest to the vitreous (exhibiting large T2, ADC, spin density with Gd-DTPA enhancement) overlapped the ganglion cell layer, bipolar cell layer, and the embedded retinal vascular layer. The middle strip (exhibiting small T2, ADC, spin density without Gd-DTPA enhancement) overlapped the photoreceptor cell layer and the inner and outer segments. The outer strip (exhibiting large T2, ADC, spin density with Gd-DTPA enhancement) overlapped the tapetum and choroidal vascular layer. T2, spin density, ADC(perpendicular) and ADC(parallel) of different "layers" were tabulated. The inner strip was slightly thicker than the other two strips. The total thickness, including neural and nonneural retina, was 358 +/- 13 microm (N = 6) by MRI and 319 +/- 77 microm (N = 5) by histology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI provides a noninvasive tool to study the retina with laminar specificity without depth limitation.
authors.affiliation: Yerkes Imaging Center, Division of Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Haiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Machelle T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pardue
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Govind
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: Van Toi
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Vo
authors.forename: Ross D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Shonat
authors.forename: Timothy Q
authors.initials: TQ
authors.lastname: Duong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D003287:Contrast Media; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D012160:Retina / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013382:Subtraction Technique
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA