title: [Manganese enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for tracing corticospinal tracts in rat brain using 7.0 T MRI].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the methods of manganese enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in 7.0 T magnetic field for tracing corticospinal tract in rat brain in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  0.4 microl volume of 1 mol/L aqueous solution of MnCl(2) was injected into the primary motor cortex of 9 SD rats under stereotaxis. MRI studies were performed for tracing corticospinal tract and other coherent nerve tracts before injection and 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 7 days after injection respectively using 7.0T Micro-MRI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Corticospinal tract was visualized perfectly from primary motor cortex, thalamus, cerebral peduncle to pons at different time points after Mn(2+) administration, and the best contrast was achieved after 24-48 h. At the same time, a small quantity of Mn(2+) reached the opposite somatosensory cortex through the corpus callosum.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Manganese enhanced MRI visualizes perfectly the transport of Mn(2+) through axoplasmic flow in corticospinal tracts. This method may be used to investigate the change of corticospinal tract and the functional connectivity between two sides of hemisphere in rat brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China. gaogejun@tom.com
authors.forename: Ge-Jun
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Feng-Chao
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.forename: Yan-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Zhong-Bao
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D008345:Manganese