Datasets assessing lipid-content in optically cleared brains

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Imaging
• Histology

Background:

• Multi-modal imaging combines light microscopy (LM) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for brain examination at various scales.
• Tissue clearing renders whole brains transparent for LM, requiring lipid removal (delipidation).
• The impact of delipidation on MRI contrast in cleared tissues remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between lipid content, tissue clearing techniques, and MRI contrast.
• To assess the effects of different clearing methods on lipid preservation and tissue integrity.

Main Methods:

• Mouse and rat brains were cleared using CLARITY, Scale, uDISCO, and ECi techniques.
• Lipid content was assessed using Oil Red O (ORO) and DiI staining, and MRI contrast-to-noise ratio was measured.
• Tissue integrity and dye washout were analyzed at various stages of clearing.

Main Results:

• CLARITY's lipid electrophoresis reduced MRI contrast in both control and cleared brains.
• ORO staining was minimal in CLARITY-cleared brains but efficient in uDISCO and ECi-cleared brains.
• DiI staining showed consistent results across all clearing methods, while CLARITY impaired tissue integrity more than uDISCO and ECi.

Conclusions:

• Different tissue clearing methods exhibit variable effects on lipid content and MRI contrast.
• Lipid removal during clearing significantly impacts MRI signal, with technique-dependent outcomes.
• These findings aid in understanding lipid contributions to brain MRI contrast and optimizing clearing protocols.