Monitoring mouse brain perfusion with hybrid magnetic resonance optoacoustic tomography

Progress in brain research critically depends on the development of next-generation multi-modal imaging tools that are capable of capturing transient functional events and multiplexed contrasts noninvasively and concurrently. A number of outstanding questions, such as those pertaining to the link between blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signaling, oxygen saturation and underlying neural activity, could potentially be addressed by truly integrating several complementary neuroimaging readouts into one hybrid system, thus enabling a holistic view of dynamic events in vivo . Here we developed a hybrid magnetic resonance and optoacoustic tomography (MROT) system for murine brain imaging by incorporating an MR-compatible spherical matrix array transducer and fiberbased light illumination into a 9.4T small animal scanner, whilst further designing an optimized radiofrequency coil for whole-brain interrogation. The utility of the system is demonstrated by acquiring complementary angiographic and soft tissue anatomical contrast along with simultaneous dual-modality visualization of contrast agent dynamics in vivo .