QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, February 6, 2008, 28(6):1427-1433; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3194-07.2008

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in J. Neurosci. Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Huang, H. Articles by Mori, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Huang, H. Articles by Mori, S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Cellular/Molecular
Quantitative Cortical Mapping of Fractional Anisotropy in Developing Rat Brains

Hao Huang,^1,3 Akria Yamamoto,^1,4 Mir Ahamed Hossain,² Laurent Younes,⁵ and Susumu Mori^1,6

Department of ¹Radiology and ²Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, ³Advanced Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, ⁴Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 6048845,Japan ⁵Center of Imaging Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, and ⁶F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 21205

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Susumu Mori, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 217 Traylor Building, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205. Email: susumu{at}mri.jhu.edu

Cortical development is associated with a series of events that involve axon and dendrite growth and synaptic formation. Although these developmental processes have been investigated in detail with histology, three-dimensional and quantitative imaging methods for rodent brains may be useful for genetic and pharmacological studies in which cortical developmental abnormalities are suspected. It has been shown that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can delineate the columnar organization of the fetal and early neonatal cortex based on a high degree of diffusion anisotropy along the columnar structures. This anisotropy is known to decrease during brain development. In this study, we applied DTI to developing rat brains at five developmental stages, postnatal days 0, 3, 7, 11 and 19, and used diffusion anisotropy as an index to characterize the structural change. Statistical analysis reveals four distinctive cortical areas that demonstrate a characteristic time course of anisotropy loss. This method may provide a means to delineate specific cortical areas and a quantitative method to detect abnormalities in cortical development in rodent pathological models.

Key words: rat; brain; development; magnetic resonance imaging; diffusion; dendrite; cortex

---

Received July 13, 2007; revised Dec. 11, 2007; accepted Dec. 13, 2007.

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Susumu Mori, The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 217 Traylor Building, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205. Email: susumu{at}mri.jhu.edu

Related articles in J. Neurosci.:

Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Cortical Surface Development

Elizabeth B. Hutchinson and Daniel J. Kelley
J. Neurosci. 2008 28: 4846-4847. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. B. Hutchinson and D. J. Kelley Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Cortical Surface Development J. Neurosci., May 7, 2008; 28(19): 4846 - 4847. [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help