Publication
Title
PET imaging of freely moving interacting rats
Author
Abstract
Awake rat brain positron emission tomography (PET) has previously been developed to avoid the influence of anesthesia on the rat brain response. In the present work, we further the awake rat brain scanning methodology to establish simultaneous scanning of two interacting rats in a high resolution, large field of view PET scanner. Awake rat imaging methodology based on point source tracking was adapted to be used in a dedicated human brain scanner, the ECAT high resolution research tomograph (HART). Rats could freely run on a horizontal platform of 19.4 x 23 cm placed inside the HART. The developed methodology was validated using a motion resolution phantom experiment, 3 awake single rat [F-18]FDG scans as well as an [F-18]FDG scan of 2 interacting rats. The precision of the point source based motion tracking was 0.359 mm (standard deviation). Minor loss of spatial resolution was observed in the motion corrected reconstructions (MC) of the resolution phantom compared to the motion-free reconstructions (MF). The full-width-at-half-maximum of the phantom rods were increased by on average 0.37 mm in the MC compared to the MF. During the awake scans, extensive motion was observed with rats moving throughout the platform area. The average rat head motion speed was 1.69 cm/s. Brain regions such as hippocampus, cortex and cerebellum could be recovered in the motion corrected reconstructions. Relative regional brain uptake of MC and MF was strongly correlated (Pearson's r ranging from 0.82 to 0.95, p < 0.0001). Awake rat brain PET imaging of interacting rats was successfully implemented on the HART scanner. The present method allows a large range of motion throughout a large field of view as well as to image two rats simultaneously opening the way to novel rat brain PET study designs.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Neuroimage. - New York
Publication
New York : 2019
ISSN
1053-8119
DOI
10.1016/J.NEUROIMAGE.2019.02.064
Volume/pages
191 (2019) , p. 560-567
ISI
000462145700049
Pubmed ID
30831313
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Non-invasive motion tracking and motion adaptive resolution modeling for awake rat brain positron emission tomography.
Non-invasive motion tracking for awake rat brain positron emission tomography with in vivo validation.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 04.04.2019
Last edited 01.01.2025
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