Post-mortem Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Degenerating and Reorganizing White Matter in Post-stroke Rodent Brain

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides noninvasive and non-destructive brain tissue imaging.
• Diffusion-weighted MRI specifically assesses white matter fiber integrity.
• Degeneration or remodeling of white matter tracts is crucial in diseased brains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the preparation of post-stroke rodent brain samples for post-mortem imaging.
• To provide guidelines for acquiring and processing high-resolution 3D diffusion-weighted MR images.

Main Methods:

• Utilized post-mortem rodent brain samples from stroke models.
• Employed high-resolution 3D diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI).
• Developed specific protocols for sample preparation, image acquisition, and data processing.

Main Results:

• Successfully prepared post-stroke rodent brain samples for advanced dMRI.
• Established a reproducible workflow for high-resolution 3D dMRI acquisition and processing.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of detailed white matter tract analysis in post-mortem stroke models.

Conclusions:

• The described method enables detailed, non-destructive analysis of white matter integrity post-stroke.
• This approach facilitates the study of structural changes in white matter tracts in neurological disease models.
• High-resolution 3D dMRI of post-mortem brains offers valuable insights into neurodegenerative processes.