Diffusion tensor and perfusion MRI of non-human primates

Abstract

This paper reviews recent non-human primate (NHP) neuroimaging literature using MRI in macaque, baboon and chimpanzee. It describes general challenges and limitations for NHP MRI studies, and reviews recent applications of anatomical, diffusion tensor, cerebral blood flow MRI. Applications to NHP stroke is discussed in some detail.Keywords magnetic resonance imaging; cerebral blood flow; neuroimaging; stroke; NHP; DTI; BOLD fMRI; arterial spin labeling; DWI 1) INTRODUCTIONNon-human primates (NHPs) are important animal models because of their overall similarities to humans, resulting in better recapitulation of many human diseases compared to rodent models. Research using NHP models have significantly advanced our understanding of neuroscience, neurodegerative disorders, aging and development. NHP models have played a vital role in vaccine, AIDS and infectious disease research.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a powerful research and clinical imaging tool because it can provide non-invasive anatomical, physiological and functional images at high spatial and temporal resolution with excellent soft tissue contrast. Many NHP studies could benefit significantly using non-invasive MRI. A few nonhuman primate research centers have built their own imaging operations or are closely affiliated with MRI centers. Importantly, MRI protocols developed using NHP subjects can be more readily extended to humans because clinical scanners are often used, and the size and complexity of NHP brain are more similar to human brain. This paper reviews recent NHP MRI neuroimaging literature in macaque, baboon and chimpanzee. It starts by describing some general limitations and challenges in NHP MRI Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptMethods. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 March 1. 2) CHALLENGES AND LIMITATIONSSome of the potential challenges and limitations in carrying out NHP MRI studies include the need for animal support, custom-made RF coils for NHP to use on human scanners, hardware constraints on spatial resolution, and magnetic susceptibility artifacts. Animal supportThe majority of NHP MRI studies are carried out under anesthesia, which requires veterinary support to provide care for animals during anesthesia and recovery. The common choices of anesthesia are sevoflurane, isoflurane, ketamine and propofol. The choice of anesthetics and dosages vary depending on the types of MRI experiments (i.e., anatomical MRI versus functional MRI (fMRI)) and the duration of the MRI exams. Stimuli for fMRI experiments involving ...

Tractography of the Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) Corpus Callosum Using Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging

“…The degree of diffusion of water molecules in white matter is described by fractional anisotropy (FA) parameter, caused mainly by the orientation of the fiber tracts, fiber density, axonal diameter and myelination [ 26 ]. FA gives information about the shape of the diffusion tensor at each voxel.…”

“…Based upon recent work that describes the fiber tracts of the CC in other non-human primate species (rhesus macaques: [ 3 , 28 ]; chimpanzees: [ 11 ]), we performed a series of experiments to test if the arrangement of fibers in spider monkey was similar to that observed in rhesus macaques and chimpanzees. This type of studies benefit and complement significantly non-human primate research as they provide useful structural, physiological and functional data [ 26 ].…”

Advantages of nonhuman primates as preclinical models for evaluating stem cell-based therapies for Parkinson's disease

“…Baboons display behavioral and cognitive abilities correlative to those of humans (Fagot and Paleressompoulle, 2009;Goujon and Fagot, 2013), and exhibit cognitive deficits when administered MPTP (Hantraye et al, 1996) (Table 1). Baboons also demonstrate other non-motor Parkinsonian symptoms such as age-related loss of dopamine compensation (Duong, 2010).…”

Multimodal MRI of Nonhuman Primate Stroke

“…The need for animal support, hardware constraints on spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and magnetic susceptibility artifacts are some of the major difficulties. These have been described elsewhere [3] and will be briefly reviewed below.…”