High-resolution 3D MRI of mouse brain reveals small cerebral structures in vivo

This work demonstrates technical approaches to high-quality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of small structures of the mouse brain in vivo. It turns out that excellent soft-tissue contrast requires the reduction of partial volume effects by using 3D MRI at high (isotropic) resolution with linear voxel dimensions of about 100-150 mum. The long T-2* relaxation times at relatively low magnetic fields (2.35 T) offer the benefit of a small receiver bandwidth (increased signal-to-noise) at a moderate echo time which together with the small voxel size avoids visual susceptibility artifacts. For measuring times of 1-1.5 h both * relaxation times at relatively low magnetic fields (2.35 T) offer the benefit of a small receiver bandwidth (increased signal-to-noise) at a moderate echo time which together with the small voxel size avoids visual susceptibility artifacts. For measuring times of 1-1.5 h both T-1-weighted (FLASH) and T-2-weighted (Fast Spin-Echo) 3D MRI acquisitions exhibit detailed anatomical insights in accordance with histological sections from a mouse brain atlas. Preliminary applications address the identification of neuroanatomical variations in different mouse strains and the use of Mn2+ as a T-1 contrast agent for neuroaxonal tracing of fiber tracts within the mouse visual pathway. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.