A new open, high-resolution, multishell, diffusion-weighted imaging dataset of the living squirrel monkey

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Primate Research
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is crucial for brain studies but faces limitations in non-human primate data acquisition.
• Existing in vivo diffusion data for Saimiri sciureus is scarce, hindering comparative neuroscience and evolutionary studies.
• Open data initiatives are vital to bridge these accessibility gaps in scientific research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create and openly share a high-resolution, multishell diffusion-weighted MRI dataset for the Saimiri sciureus.
• To provide a valuable resource for studying primate brain anatomy, connectivity, and evolution.
• To demonstrate the utility of the dataset through example analyses.

Main Methods:

• Acquired diffusion-weighted MRI data from 11 anesthetized Saimiri sciureus individuals.
• Utilized an 11.7 Tesla MRI scanner with an isotropic resolution of 400 µm³.
• Performed whole-brain tractography, Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI), and ActiveAx analysis for axon diameter.

Main Results:

• Generated a unique, high-resolution diffusion MRI dataset for Saimiri sciureus.
• Successfully analyzed long-range connections, brain microstructure, and axon diameter using the dataset.
• Demonstrated the dataset's capability for detailed neuroanatomical and microstructural investigations.

Conclusions:

• The openly available Saimiri sciureus diffusion MRI dataset is a significant resource for the neuroscience community.
• This dataset will facilitate advancements in primate brain research, evolution studies, and comparative neuroanatomy.
• Encourages further open data sharing to accelerate scientific discovery in neuroimaging.