title: In vivo high-resolution diffusion tensor imaging of the mouse brain.
abstract: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the laboratory mouse brain provides important macroscopic information for anatomical characterization of mouse models in basic research. Currently, in vivo DTI of the mouse brain is often limited by the available resolution. In this study, we demonstrate in vivo high-resolution DTI of the mouse brain using a cryogenic probe and a modified diffusion-weighted gradient and spin echo (GRASE) imaging sequence at 11.7 T. Three-dimensional (3D) DTI of the entire mouse brain at 0.125 mm isotropic resolution could be obtained in approximately 2 h. The high spatial resolution, which was previously only available with ex vivo imaging, enabled non-invasive examination of small structures in the adult and neonatal mouse brains. Based on data acquired from eight adult mice, a group-averaged DTI atlas of the in vivo adult mouse brain with 60 structure segmentations was developed. Comparisons between in vivo and ex vivo mouse brain DTI data showed significant differences in brain morphology and tissue contrasts, which indicate the importance of the in vivo DTI-based mouse brain atlas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jiadi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: Peter C M
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: van Zijl
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Frances J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Northington
authors.forename: Jiangyang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D008959:Models, Neurological; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: Brain atlas; Diffusion tensor imaging; High-resolution; In vivo; Magnetic resonance imaging; Mouse brain