Monitoring brain development of chick embryos in vivo using 3.0 T MRI: subdivision volume change and preliminary structural quantification using DTI

BMC Developmental Biology

Jianrong Xu¹  Jinyan Zu¹  Lei Li¹  Weiwei Ma¹  Jiehui Shan²  Zengai Chen¹  Zien Zhou¹ 

[1]Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

[2]Department of Geriatrics, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai, China

关键词: Diffusion tensor imaging;    Magnetic resonance imaging;    In vivo;    Brain development;    Chick embryo;   

Others  :  1221638
DOI  :  10.1186/s12861-015-0077-6

 received in 2014-12-09, accepted in 2015-06-29,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has many advantages in the research of in vivo embryonic brain development, specifically its noninvasive aspects and ability to avoid skeletal interference. However, few studies have focused on brain development in chick, which is a traditional animal model in developmental biology. We aimed to serially monitor chick embryo brain development in vivo using 3.0 T MRI.

Methods

Ten fertile Hy-line white eggs were incubated and seven chick embryo brains were monitored in vivo and analyzed serially from 5 to 20 days during incubation using 3.0 T MRI. A fast positioning sequence was pre-scanned to obtain sagittal and coronal brain planes corresponding to the established atlas. T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) was performed for volume estimation of the whole brain and subdivision (telencephalon, cerebellum, brainstem, and lateral ventricle [LV]); diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to reflect the evolution of neural bundle structures.

Results

The chick embryos’ whole brain and subdivision grew non-linearly over time; the DTI fractional anisotropy (FA) value within the telencephalon increased non-linearly as well. All seven scanned eggs hatched successfully.

Conclusions

MRI avoids embryonic sacrifice in a way that allows serial monitoring of longitudinal developmental processes of a single embryo. Feasibility for analyzing subdivision of the brain during development, and adding structural information related to neural bundles, makes MRI a powerful tool for exploring brain development.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Zhou et al.

【 图 表 】

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