Techniques for Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Mouse Brain

Introduction In neuroscience research, mouse models have played important roles in advancing our knowledge of the brain and its diseases. To study mouse neuroanatomy, especially changes in neuroanatomy caused by genetic mutation or pathology, novel imaging tools are necessary. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a good candidate because it can visualize white matter (WM) structures in the brain, and has been used to study neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Even though DTI has been routinely performed in the clinic, DTI of the mouse brain remains a challenging task. A mouse brain is approximately 1000 times smaller than a human brain in term of the total volume. The current resolution of human brain DTI is about 1 2 mm per pixel. In order to achieve the same relative resolution, we need to achieve a resolution of 0.1 0.2 mm per pixel for mouse brain DTI by using special techniques.