Mapping of Cellular Layers in Mouse Brain and Spinal Cord Using Magnetization Transfer and Manganese

Takashi Watanabe¹, Jens Frahm¹, Thomas Michaelis¹

This work demonstrates the complementary and combined use of magnetization transfer and manganese administration in T1-weighted MRI of the brain and spinal cord of living mice. The off-resonance irradiation effectively suppresses the signal intensity of the white matter, while the bright signals of dense cellular assemblies are much less affected. This differential effect well complements the contrast induced by manganese administration. Thus, magnetization transfer may distinguish neuron-rich tissue from adjacent myelin-rich tissue. Furthermore, quantitative evaluations indicate a higher sensitivity for manganese when combined with magnetization transfer.