Rapid and recoverable in vivo magnetic resonance imaging of the adult zebrafish at 7T

Increasing scientific interest in the zebrafish as a model organism across a range of biomedical and biological research areas raises the need for the development of in vivo imaging tools appropriate to this subject. Development of the embryonic and early stage forms of the subject can currently be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Magnetic resonance imaging 2017-04, Vol.37, p.9-15
Main Authors: Merrifield, Gavin D., Mullin, James, Gallagher, Lindsay, Tucker, Carl, Jansen, Maurits A., Denvir, Martin, Holmes, William M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cardiomyopathies - diagnostic imaging
Flow cell
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
In vivo
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
MRI
Oxygen
Phantoms, Imaging
Physiological monitoring
Solenoid
Technical Note
Zebrafish
Zebrafish - anatomy & histology
Zebrafish - physiology
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Summary:Increasing scientific interest in the zebrafish as a model organism across a range of biomedical and biological research areas raises the need for the development of in vivo imaging tools appropriate to this subject. Development of the embryonic and early stage forms of the subject can currently be assessed using optical based techniques due to the transparent nature of the species at these early stages. However this is not an option during the juvenile and adult stages when the subjects become opaque. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques would allow for the longitudinal and non-invasive assessment of development and health in these later life stages. However, the small size of the zebrafish and its aquatic environment represent considerable challenges for the technique. We have developed a suitable flow cell system that incorporates a dedicated MRI imaging coil to solve these challenges. The system maintains and monitors a zebrafish during a scan and allows for it to be fully recovered. The imaging properties of this system compare well with those of other preclinical MRI coils used in rodent models. This enables the rapid acquisition of MRI data which are comparable in terms of quality and acquisition time. This would allow the many unique opportunities of the zebrafish as a model organism to be combined with the benefits of non-invasive MRI.
ISSN:0730-725X
1873-5894
DOI:10.1016/j.mri.2016.10.013