In vivo labeling and quantitative imaging of neuronal populations using MRI

Shana Li; Xiang Xu; Canjun Li; Ziyan Xu; Ke Wu; Qiong Ye; Yan Zhang; Xiaohua Jiang; Chunlei Cang; Changlin Tian; Jie Wen

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120374

In vivo labeling and quantitative imaging of neuronal populations using MRI

Neuroimage. 2023 Nov 1:281:120374. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120374. Epub 2023 Sep 18.

Authors

Shana Li¹, Xiang Xu¹, Canjun Li², Ziyan Xu², Ke Wu¹, Qiong Ye³, Yan Zhang¹, Xiaohua Jiang¹, Chunlei Cang², Changlin Tian⁴, Jie Wen⁵

Affiliations

¹ The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC (Anhui Provincial Hospital), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
² School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
³ Key Laboratory of High Field Magnetic Resonance Image of Anhui Province, High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, PR China.
⁴ The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC (Anhui Provincial Hospital), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, PR China; School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, PR China; Key Laboratory of High Field Magnetic Resonance Image of Anhui Province, High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, PR China. Electronic address: cltian@ustc.edu.cn.
⁵ The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC (Anhui Provincial Hospital), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, PR China. Electronic address: jiewen@ustc.edu.cn.

PMID: 37729795
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120374

Abstract

The study of neural circuits, which underlies perception, cognition, emotion, and behavior, is essential for understanding the mammalian brain, a complex organ consisting of billions of neurons. To study the structure and function of the brain, in vivo neuronal labeling and imaging techniques are crucial as they provide true physiological information that ex vivo methods cannot offer. In this paper, we present a new strategy for in vivo neuronal labeling and quantification using MRI. We demonstrate the efficacy of this method by delivering the oatp1a1 gene to the target neurons using rAAV2-retro virus. OATP1A1 protein expression on the neuronal membrane increased the uptake of a specific MRI contrast agent (Gd-EOB-DTPA), leading to hyperintense signals on T1W images of labeled neuronal populations. We also used dynamic contrast enhancement-based methods to obtain quantitative information on labeled neuronal populations in vivo.

Keywords: Gd-EOB-DTPA; In vivo MRI; Neuronal labeling; Oatp1a1; Quantitative analysis; Reporter gene.