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Diffusion Imaging in the Rat Cervical Spinal Cord
Published on: April 7, 2015
Diffusion tensor imaging of the mouse brainstem and cervical spinal cord
Joong Hee Kim1, Sheng-Kwei Song
1Department of Radiology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Nature Protocols
|February 22, 2013
Summary
This study presents a new MRI protocol for imaging lesions in mouse brainstem and spinal cord, crucial for understanding motor neuron diseases (MNDs) like ALS and developing treatments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Motor neuron diseases (MNDs), including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), involve degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons (LMNs), leading to neurological dysfunction.
- Detecting brainstem and cervical spinal cord lesions in LMN damage is challenging with current magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.
- Advancing noninvasive neuroimaging for mouse models of MNDs is critical for understanding disease mechanisms and therapeutic development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and present a novel MRI protocol for high-quality in vivo imaging of the mouse brainstem and cervical spinal cord.
- To enable the detection of lesions resulting from axonal and neuronal injury in mouse models of MNDs.
- To facilitate a better understanding of MND pathogenesis and the evaluation of potential treatments.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a custom-designed actively decoupled, anatomically shaped coil pair (surface-receive and minimized volume-transmit coils) for concomitant acquisition of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
- Employed a custom-made nose cone for respiratory motion monitoring and synchronization to ensure physiological stability during imaging.
- Implemented a protocol on a 4.7-T horizontal small animal MRI scanner with advanced gradient coil capabilities.
Main Results:
- Achieved high-quality in vivo full-diffusion tensor magnetic resonance images of the mouse brainstem and cervical spinal cord.
- Acquired DTI data with 117 μm × 117 μm in-plane resolution and 500-μm slice thickness.
- Successfully completed imaging within a 1-hour acquisition time, demonstrating protocol efficiency.
Conclusions:
- The presented protocol enables simultaneous, high-resolution in vivo DTI of the mouse brainstem and cervical spinal cord.
- This advanced neuroimaging technique can aid in the early detection and characterization of lesions in MND mouse models.
- The protocol holds significant potential for advancing research into MND mechanisms and the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
