Scientists from Duke University have developed the MRI method, making brain images 64 million times clearer. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
MRI provides good enough resolution to detect brain tumors, but images need to be much sharper to see microscopic details of the brain.
The scientists combined high-power MRI with light microscopy, allowing them to create high-resolution wiring diagrams of the entire mouse brain. Most MRI machines use magnets between 1.5 and 3 Tesla. The authors of the new study used a 9.4 Tesla magnet. Images were processed by a high-performance computer equivalent to about 800 laptops.
As a result, the resolution was 5 microns – 64 million times less than conventional MRI. In the mouse brain, the scientists were able to look at specific cell groups in the brain, such as dopamine-producing cells that play an important role in the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
Enhanced MRI will lead to a much better understanding of age, diet, and brain changes in people with Alzheimer’s disease.