Diffusion MRI of in utero mouse embryos

Introduction The mouse embryo is a widespread animal model for human development disorders. MRI offers a unique, noninvasive approach for imaging normal and abnormal mouse embryo development in later gestational stages. One of the difficulties of imaging in utero mouse embryos is the lack of tissue contrast exhibited by the embryo at high magnet field strengths. This project explores the use of diffusion-weighted MR microscopy to improve embryonic CNS tissue contrast while simultaneously addressing the major technical challenges of acquiring diffusion-weighted images in the presence of maternal respiratory motion. We report results using respiratory-gated, volumetric in utero diffusion-weighted images with an isotropic spatial resolution of 250 microns which allowed clear differentiation of CNS tissue boundaries in the murine embryonic brain.