Corticospinal Tract Tracing In Mouse Using Manganese-Enhanced Contrast

Application of manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was expanded to trace the corticospinal tract (CST) in live mouse. Motor cortex of mouse was injected with manganese bilaterally and stimulated electrically to facilitate uptake of manganese into the cortical neurons and to increase its axonal transport distance. Next day, brain and spinal cord of mouse was imaged using spin echo and inversion recovery spin echo sequences. Optimal strategies and experimental procedures enable to achieve a clear visualization of the anatomical and structural organization of the CST within the brain and spinal cord. Considering that mouse is increasingly used as an animal model of spinal cord injury, the availability of this new neuroimaging tool is anticipated to open up new opportunities in this line of research, especially in terms of evaluating axonal damage, CST reorganization and intervention strategies.