Diffusion Microscopic MRI of the Mouse Embryo: Protocol and Practical Implementation in the splotch Mouse Model

Abstract

PURPOSE: Advanced methodologies for visualizing novel tissue contrast are essential for phenotyping the ever-increasing number of mutant mouse embryos being generated. Although diffusion microscopic MRI (μMRI) has been used to phenotype embryos, widespread routine use is limited by extended scanning times, and there is no established experimental procedure ensuring optimal data acquisition. METHODS: We developed two protocols for designing experimental procedures for diffusion μMRI of mouse embryos, which take into account the effect of embryo preparation and pulse sequence parameters on resulting data. We applied our protocols to an investigation of the splotch mouse model as an example imp..