Open AccessMultiscale x-ray phase-contrast tomography in a mouse model of transient focal cerebral ischemia
Author(s) -
Mareike Töpperwien,
Thorsten R. Doeppner,
Bozena Zechmeister,
Mathias Bähr,
Tim Salditt
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.10.000092
Subject(s) - ischemia , tomography , microscopy , phase contrast microscopy , brain tissue , contrast (vision) , biomedical engineering , focus (optics) , pathology , materials science , medicine , optics , radiology , physics , cardiology
Cerebral ischemia is associated with a lack of oxygen and high-energy phosphates within the brain tissue, leading to irreversible cell injury. Visualizing these cellular injuries has long been a focus of experimental stroke research with application of immunohistochemistry as one of the standard approaches. It is, however, a destructive imaging technique with non-isotropic resolution, as only the two-dimensional tissue structure of a thin brain section is visualized using optical microscopy and specific stainings. Herein, we extend the structural analysis of mouse brain tissue after cerebral ischemia to the third dimension via microfocus computed tomography (µ-CT). Contrast of the weakly absorbing unstained brain tissue is enhanced by phase contrast. We show that recordings at two different magnifications and fields of view can be combined as a single approach for visualization of the associated structural alterations at isotropic resolution, from the level of the whole organ down to single cells.