In this study, we investigated the mechanical properties of subregions of the murine dentate gyrus in vivo using MR elastography (MRE) and ex vivo with atomic force microscopy (AFM). Consistent with AFM, subregional analysis of the dentate gyrus by MRE revealed that the subgranular zone (SGZ), in which adult neurogenesis takes place, is characterized by marked soft-solid properties. We conclude that MRE is sensitive to micromechanical properties beyond the image resolution. The observed soft-solid material properties of the SGZ quantified by AFM and MRE might be of functional relevance for neurogenesis in the mouse brain.
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