Susann
Boretius1, Peter Dechent2, Jens Frahm1,
Gunther Helms2
1Biomedizinische NMR Forschungs GmbH,
Max-Planck-Institut fr biophysikalische Chemie, Gttingen, Germany; 2MR-Research
in Neurology and Psychiatry, University Medical Center, Gttingen, Germany
MRI
of mouse models is an integral part of translational research on white matter
diseases and myelin disorders. Thus, the delineation of myelinated fiber
tracts in mice becomes of growing interest. Here we used in healthy adult
mice a novel FLASH-based parameter for magnetization transfer that was
recently established for human applications. In comparison to maps of MT
ratio and T1, this parameter provides an improved gray-white matter contrast
that allows for the visualization of small neuronal fiber bundles such as the
mammilothalamic tract and fasciculus retroflexus.