Magnetic Resonance Microscopy of the Adult Zebrafish

Abstract

Magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) is an imaging modality that allows for noninvasive acquisition of high-resolution images in intact opaque animals. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an important model organism for the study of vertebrate biology. However, optical in vivo studies in zebrafish are restricted to very early developmental stages due to the opacity of the juvenile and adult stages. Application of high resolution MRM has not yet been explored in adult zebrafish. In this study we applied and optimized high resolution MRM methods to examine anatomical structures noninvasively in adult zebrafish. Clear morphological proton images were obtained by T(2)-weighted spin echo and rapid acquisition with rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) sequences which revealed many anatomical details in the entire intact zebrafish at a magnetic field strength of 9.4 T. In addition, in vivo imaging of adult zebrafish revealed sufficient anatomical details. To our knowledge this is the first report of the application of high resolution MRM to study detailed anatomical structures in adult zebrafish.

Enhanced characterization of the zebrafish brain as revealed by super-resolution track-density imaging

“…Mature zebrafish, which possess well-developed endocrine, sensory, and motor systems (Bally-Cuif and Vernier 2010), a range of complex behaviours such as social interactions (Saverino and Gerlai 2008), learning and memory (Gomez-Laplaza and Gerlai 2010; Norton and Bally-Cuif 2010;Al-Imari and Gerlai 2008) and a physiology similar to mammals (Bally-Cuif and Vernier 2010), have been recognized as beneficial to investigations of neurological diseases (Alfaro et al 2011;Siebel et al 2011;Wong et al 2010;Keller and Murtha 2004;Mathur and Guo 2010;Ramirez et al 2012;Haud et al 2011;Williams et al 2011). As adult zebrafish continue to be used as an experimental model, new techniques are being developed to better characterize their behaviour , neuronal activity (Pineda et al 2011), neurochemistry (Kabli et al 2009) and neuromorphology (Rao et al 2009;Ullmann et al 2010b;Ullmann et al 2010a; Kabli et al 2006). …”

High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Intact Zebrafish Embryos Detects Metabolic Changes Following Exposure to Teratogenic Polymethoxyalkenes from Algae

“…1 Most recently, various NMR-based techniques for imaging and chemical analysis (including HR-MAS NMR) have been reported for the zebrafish as an increasingly important animal model. [2][3][4][5][6] To date, however, NMR has been largely applied to adult stages of zebrafish, and has enabled in vivo imaging, and localized chemical analyses, in this system. With respect to the former, NMR-based microimaging (lMRI) was recently demonstrated with live zebrafish and specifically applied to the detection and characterization of melanomas.…”

“…With respect to the former, NMR-based microimaging (lMRI) was recently demonstrated with live zebrafish and specifically applied to the detection and characterization of melanomas. 2,3 Localized in vivo high-resolution spectroscopy, likewise, was achieved in the brain of adult zebrafish (with a spatial resolution of voxels as small as 3.3 lL) and specifically utilized, as an example, for metabolic profiling of spatially defined regions of the brain including, most recently, effective lipid profiling. 4,5 Although the past studies have largely focused on adult stages of the zebrafish, one such study applied NMR, and HR-MAS specifically, for chemical analysis of intact embryonic stages and, in particular, was able to quantify ethanol levels as part of exposure studies.…”

High-Resolution Tissue Doppler Imaging of the Zebrafish Heart During Its Regeneration

“…Therefore, a noninvasive imaging modality is needed for observing the heart structure and evaluating the cardiac functions of adult zebrafish in vivo. Micro magnetic resonance imaging (micro-MRI) 11 and fluorescence microscopy 12 have been proposed for imaging the adult zebrafish heart noninvasively. However, the temporal resolution of micro-MRI is inadequate for monitoring cardiac function, and a genetically modified transparent zebrafish is needed for fluorescence microscopy imaging-the drawbacks of this optical modality include that it is not easy to produce genetically modified transparent zebrafish and the low optical penetration makes it difficult to estimate the cardiac function of adult zebrafish.…”