Imaging peripheral nerve micro-anatomy with MUSE, 2D and 3D approaches

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Microscopy

Background:

• Peripheral nerve micro-anatomy is crucial for developing effective neuromodulation devices.
• Current imaging techniques for nerve morphology are limited by complexity, volume, resolution, or contrast.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present alternative Microscopy with Ultraviolet Surface Excitation (MUSE) imaging methods for peripheral nerve morphology.
• To enable detailed 2D and 3D characterization of nerve micro-anatomy for improved neuromodulation modeling.

Main Methods:

• 2D imaging of fixed nerve samples using conventional MUSE, with or without fluorescent staining, for rapid fiber visualization and morphological measurements.
• Development of a whole-mount staining and MUSE block-face imaging method for 3D peripheral nerve micro-anatomy characterization.
• Application of MUSE imaging to rat sciatic and human cadaver tibial nerves.

Main Results:

• MUSE provides a simple, rapid method for label-free or stained 2D visualization of myelinated nerve fibers.
• Measurements of fiber morphology, such as axon diameter and g-ratio, are achievable with the 2D MUSE method.
• The 3D MUSE block-face imaging approach enables comprehensive peripheral nerve micro-anatomy characterization.

Conclusions:

• MUSE imaging presents a versatile and effective alternative for investigating peripheral nerve morphology in 2D and 3D.
• These advanced imaging capabilities can enhance the accuracy of computational models used in neuromodulation.
• The presented methods demonstrate broad applicability across different preclinical models for nerve imaging.