Open AccessHigh resolution 3D visualization of the spinal cord in a post-mortem murine model
Author(s) -
Inna Bukreeva,
В. Е. Асадчиков,
А. V. Buzmakov,
Marina Chukalina,
Anastasia Ingacheva,
Nikolay A Korolev,
Alberto Bravin,
Alberto Mittone,
Gabriele Biella,
Alejandra Sierra,
Francesco Brun,
Lorenzo Massimi,
Michela Fratini,
Alessia Cedola
Publication year - 2020
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.386837
Subject(s) - spinal cord , visualization , high resolution , medicine , spinal canal , biomedical engineering , anatomy , central nervous system , pathology , computer science , data mining , remote sensing , endocrinology , psychiatry , geology
A crucial issue in the development of therapies to treat pathologies of the central nervous system is represented by the availability of non-invasive methods to study the three-dimensional morphology of spinal cord, with a resolution able to characterize its complex vascular and neuronal organization. X-ray phase contrast micro-tomography enables a high-quality, 3D visualization of both the vascular and neuronal network simultaneously without the need of contrast agents, destructive sample preparations or sectioning. Until now, high resolution investigations of the post-mortem spinal cord in murine models have mostly been performed in spinal cords removed from the spinal canal. We present here post-mortem phase contrast micro-tomography images reconstructed using advanced computational tools to obtain high-resolution and high-contrast 3D images of the fixed spinal cord without removing the bones and preserving the richness of micro-details available when measuring exposed spinal cords. We believe that it represents a significant step toward the in-vivo application.