Spatiotemporal maturation patterns of murine brain quantified by diffusion tensor MRI and deformation-based morphometry

Highly heterogeneous spatiotemporal patterns of maturation of the murine brain during the first 80 postnatal days were examined by high-dimensional deformation-based morphometry applied to high-resolution diffusion tensor MRIs. The maturation profile revealed a sharp contrast between tissue anisotropy changes in the cortex and in major white-matter fibers. Radially oriented tissue anisotropy was measured during the first postnatal week in cortical regions, reflecting the underlying columnar organization of the cortex. Subsequently, tissue anisotropy reduced rapidly, potentially reflecting the growth of randomly oriented dendritic trees that reduce tissue coorientation. Distinct anisotropy patterns were also observed along layer I of the cortex and were attributed to thin fibers oriented parallel to the outer surface. Last, spatially complex patterns of maturation were measured in all major axonal pathways and in the hippocampus, caudate putamen, and cerebellum. This analysis provides a framework for quantifying normative maturation patterns against which phenotypes of mice of different genetic and environmental backgrounds can be contrasted.