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Updated: May 13, 2026
Induction and Micro-CT Imaging of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations in Mouse Model
Published on: September 4, 2017
Computed microtomography visualization and quantification of mouse ischemic brain lesion by nonionic radio contrast
Marina Dobrivojević1, Ivan Bohaček, Igor Erjavec
1Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.
Aim:
To explore the possibility of brain imaging by microcomputed tomography (microCT) using x-ray contrasting methods to visualize mouse brain ischemic lesions after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).
Methods:
Isolated brains were immersed in ionic or nonionic radio contrast agent (RCA) for 5 days and subsequently scanned using microCT scanner. To verify whether ex-vivo microCT brain images can be used to characterize ischemic lesions, they were compared to Nissl stained serial histological sections of the same brains. To verify if brains immersed in RCA may be used afterwards for other methods, subsequent immunofluorescent labeling with anti-NeuN was performed.
Results:
Nonionic RCA showed better gray to white matter contrast in the brain, and therefore was selected for further studies. MicroCT measurement of ischemic lesion size and cerebral edema significantly correlated with the values determined by Nissl staining (ischemic lesion size: P=0.0005; cerebral edema: P=0.0002). Brain immersion in nonionic RCA did not affect subsequent immunofluorescent analysis and NeuN immunoreactivity.
Conclusion:
MicroCT method was proven to be suitable for delineation of the ischemic lesion from the non-infarcted tissue, and quantification of lesion volume and cerebral edema.
