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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
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In vivo Imaging of the Mouse Spinal Cord Using Two-photon Microscopy
Published on: January 5, 2012
In vivo mouse spinal cord imaging using echo-planar imaging at 11.75 T
Virginie Callot1, Guillaume Duhamel, Patrick J Cozzone
1Centre de Résonance Magnétique Biologique et Médicale (CRMBM), UMR CNRS, Faculté de Médecine de Marseille, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385, Marseille Cedex 5, France. virginie.callot@medecine.univ-mrs.fr
Magma (New York, N.Y.)
|July 31, 2007
Summary
Echo-planar imaging (EPI) is a feasible method for high-resolution mouse spinal cord MRI. This technique significantly reduces scan times, benefiting diffusion imaging and pathology studies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Mouse Models
Background:
- Spinal cord imaging in mice presents challenges due to small size and motion.
- Conventional MRI sequences can be time-consuming, limiting their application in dynamic studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of using echo-planar imaging (EPI) for high-resolution mouse spinal cord MRI.
- To evaluate the performance of optimized EPI sequences compared to conventional spin-echo (c-SE).
Main Methods:
- Optimized multi-shot spin-echo EPI sequences were developed and tested at 11.75 T.
- Acquisition parameters were optimized for high spatial resolution and relaxation time measurements.
- Comparisons were made against conventional spin-echo (c-SE) sequences.
Main Results:
- High-quality mouse spinal cord MR images were acquired, clearly distinguishing gray and white matter.
- EPI achieved an acquisition-time gain factor of up to 6 compared to c-SE.
- Spatial resolution as fine as 74 x 94 microm2 was obtained, with reliable T1 and T2 relaxation time measurements.
Conclusions:
- High-temporally and spatially resolved mouse spinal cord EPI imaging is feasible.
- This technique offers significant advantages for experiments requiring rapid acquisitions, such as diffusion imaging.
- EPI is well-suited for imaging rapidly evolving pathologies in the mouse spinal cord.
