Multi-parametric ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging for myelination in the developing mouse brain
Existing MRI-based markers have limited sensitivity and specificity for assessing myelin in the brain. This study investigated whether multi-parametric MRI could improve myelin mapping in the developing mouse brain. T1, T2, magnetization transfer, and diffusion MRI data were acquired at 7 Tesla from ex vivo myelin-associated oligodendrocyte basic protein (MOBP)-enhanced green fluorescent protein…
An MRI study has revealed that combining multiple MRI parameters could enhance the assessment of myelin in the developing mouse brain. Traditional MRI markers have been found to have limited sensitivity and specificity in accurately evaluating myelin. To investigate whether multi-parametric MRI could improve myelin mapping, researchers examined T1, T2, magnetization transfer, and diffusion MRI data obtained from ex vivo mouse brains at postnatal days 14 (P14), 35 (P35), and 56 (P56).
The brains were enhanced with green fluorescent protein (eGFP) labeled with MOBP, which is associated with myelin.
Serial two-photon tomography was employed to quantify myelin content based on the MOBP signal intensity from the same mouse brains. While most MR parameters exhibited significant age-related changes, only a few correlated strongly with MOBP signals. An analysis using partial least squares regression of MRI data and MOBP information revealed that a multi-parametric approach significantly improved myelin mapping in the developing mouse brain, particularly within the corpus callosum and other brain regions.
Among the various MR parameters, T2 was identified as the most significant contributor to myelin estimation across multiple brain areas.
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