Journal
NEUROIMAGE
Volume 40, Issue 1, Pages 148-159Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.11.021
Keywords
fetal baboon; MRI; brain development; 3 T; relaxation times; T-1; T-2
Funding
- NIDA NIH HHS [R01 DA017820-04, R01 DA017820, R01 DA017820-01] Funding Source: Medline
- NIMH NIH HHS [R01 MH068318, MH K02 74677, R01 MH068318-01A1, R01 MH068318-04, R01 MH036197, K02 MH074677, MH 068318, K02 MH074677-01, MH 36197, K02 MH074677-03] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Direct observational data on the development of the brains of human and nonhuman primates is on remarkably scant, and most of our understanding of primate brain development is extrapolated from findings in rodent models. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising tool for the noninvasive, longitudinal study of the developing primate brain. We devised a protocol to scan pregnant baboons serially at 3 T for up to 3 h per session. Seven baboons were scanned 1-6 times, beginning as early as 56 days post-conceptional age, and as late as 185 days (term similar to 185 days). Successful scanning of the fetal baboon required careful animal preparation and anesthesia, in addition to optimization of the scanning protocol. We successfully acquired maps of relaxation times (T-1 and T-2) and high-resolution anatomical images of the brains of fetal baboons at multiple time points during the course of gestation. These images demonstrated the convergence of gray and white matter contrast near term, and furthermore demonstrated that the loss of contrast at that age is a consequence of the continuous change in relaxation times during fetal brain development. These data furthermore demonstrate that maps of relaxation times have clear advantages over the relaxation time weighted images for the tracking of the changes in brain structure during fetal development. This protocol for in utero MRI of fetal baboon brains will help to advance the use of nonhuman primate models to study fetal brain development longitudinally. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available