High-resolution investigation of spinal cord and spine

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a non-invasive, high-resolution 3D imaging technique for intact mouse spinal cords within vertebral columns, enabling detailed visualization of vascular and neuronal structures without damaging tissues.

Contribution

It introduces a novel data analysis procedure that preserves micro-details of the spinal cord in high-resolution 3D images while maintaining the surrounding vertebrae intact.

Findings

First high-resolution 3D images of intact mouse spinal cord within vertebrae.

Successful visualization of vascular and neuronal networks without contrast agents.

Preservation of micro-details in non-destructive imaging.

Abstract

High-resolution non-invasive 3D study of intact spine and spinal cord morphology on the level of complex vascular and neuronal organization is a crucial issue for the development of treatments for the injuries and pathologies of central nervous system (CNS). X-ray phase contrast tomography enables high quality 3D visualization in ex-vivo mouse model of both vascular and neuronal network of the soft spinal cord tissue at the scale from millimeters to hundreds of nanometers without any contrast agents and sectioning. Until now, 3D high resolution visualization of spinal cord mostly has been limited by imaging of organ extracted from vertebral column because high absorbing boney tissue drastically reduces the morphological details of soft tissue in image. However, the extremely destructive procedure of bones removal leads to sample deterioration and, therefore, to the lack of considerable part of information about the object. In this work we present the data analysis procedure to get high resolution and high contrast 3D images of intact mice spinal cord surrounded by vertebras, preserving all richness of micro-details of the spinal cord inhabiting inside. Our results are the first step forward to the difficult way toward the high- resolution investigation of in-vivo model central nervous system.