Reconstructing micrometer-scale fiber pathways in the brain: multi-contrast optical coherence tomography based tractography.

ABSTRACT: Comprehensive understanding of connective neural pathways in the brain has put great challenges on the current imaging techniques, for which three-dimensional (3D) visualization of fiber tracts with high spatiotemporal resolution is desirable. Here we present optical imaging and tractography of rat brain ex-vivo using multi-contrast optical coherence tomography (MC-OCT), which is capable of simultaneously generating depth-resolved images of reflectivity, phase retardance, optic axis orientation and, for in-vivo studies, blood flow images. Using the birefringence property of myelin sheath, nerve fiber tracts as small as a few tens of micrometers can be resolved and neighboring fiber tracts with different orientations can be distinguished in cross-sectional optical slices, 2D en-face images

SUBMITTER: Wang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3178460 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature