Rat brain digital stereotaxic white matter atlas with fine tract delineation in Paxinos space and its automated applications in DTI data analysis

Shengxiang Liang; Shang Wu; Qi Huang; Shaofeng Duan; Hua Liu; Yuxiao Li; Shujun Zhao; Binbin Nie; Baoci Shan

doi:10.1016/j.mri.2017.07.011

Rat brain digital stereotaxic white matter atlas with fine tract delineation in Paxinos space and its automated applications in DTI data analysis

Magn Reson Imaging. 2017 Nov:43:122-128. doi: 10.1016/j.mri.2017.07.011. Epub 2017 Jul 21.

Authors

Shengxiang Liang¹, Shang Wu¹, Qi Huang², Shaofeng Duan², Hua Liu³, Yuxiao Li⁴, Shujun Zhao⁵, Binbin Nie⁶, Baoci Shan⁷

Affiliations

¹ Physical Science and Technology College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China; Division of Nuclear Technology and Applications, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China.
² Division of Nuclear Technology and Applications, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049, China.
³ Division of Nuclear Technology and Applications, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China.
⁴ Physical Science and Technology College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
⁵ Physical Science and Technology College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China. Electronic address: zhaosj@zzu.edu.cn.
⁶ Division of Nuclear Technology and Applications, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: niebb@ihep.ac.cn.
⁷ Division of Nuclear Technology and Applications, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Radiographic Techniques and Equipment, Beijing 100049, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 200031, China. Electronic address: shanbc@ihep.ac.cn.

PMID: 28739393
DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2017.07.011

Abstract

Purpose: To automatically analyze diffusion tensor images of the rat brain via both voxel-based and ROI-based approaches, we constructed a new white matter atlas of the rat brain with fine tracts delineation in the Paxinos and Watson space.

Materials and methods: Unlike in previous studies, we constructed a digital atlas image from the latest edition of the Paxinos and Watson. This atlas contains 111 carefully delineated white matter fibers. A white matter network of rat brain based on anatomy was constructed by locating the intersection of all these tracts and recording the nuclei on the pathway of each white matter tract. Moreover, a compatible rat brain template from DTI images was created and standardized into the atlas space. To evaluate the automated application of the atlas in DTI data analysis, a group of rats with right-side middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and those without were enrolled in this study.

Results: The voxel-based analysis result shows that the brain region showing significant declines in signal in the MCAO rats was consistent with the occlusion position.

Conclusion: We constructed a stereotaxic white matter atlas of the rat brain with fine tract delineation and a compatible template for the data analysis of DTI images of the rat brain.

Keywords: Co-registration; DTI imaging analysis; Location; Sprague-Dawley rat brain; White matter atlas.

MeSH terms

Animals
Automation
Brain / anatomy & histology*
Brain / diagnostic imaging*
Brain Mapping
Diffusion Tensor Imaging*
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted*
Imaging, Three-Dimensional*
Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / diagnostic imaging
Male
Neuroimaging
Pattern Recognition, Automated
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
White Matter / diagnostic imaging*