Use of a clinical MR scanner for imaging the rat brain

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy are established techniques that enable noninvasive anatomic and functional tissue characterization in vivo. These tools have been employed to probe experimental models of neoplasia, cerebrovascular disease, brain injury, and neurotransplantation in small animals. To date, these studies have been executed primarily on research-dedicated instruments of limited availability or resolution. Using relatively straightforward software and hardware modifications of a widely used clinical MRI unit, we were able to image numerous structures within the living rat brain including the neostriatum, hippocampus, periaqueductal gray, and the ventricular system. Illustrative applications of this imaging technique in two intracerebral infusion models involving rats are presented. Such adaptation of clinical MRI scanners has the potential to significantly expand the availability of high resolution in vivo imaging of small animals for a variety of experimental protocols.