Example MRI scans (axial, sagittal, coronal views) from the rNLS8 mouse model. The images from control mice are shown on the left, while the images from Off Dox mice are shown on the right. The arrows identify regions of high signal, representing regional atrophic cortex.
The bottom panel shows the cortical thickness streamlines superimposed on the sagittal images. Note that we exclude the high CSF signal and only measure thickness in the cortex.
This figure nicely demonstrates how exquisitely sensitive the MRI scans are to brain atrophy. Note the high CSF signal (which is typically never seen in healthy mice) localized specifically to the region of the motor cortex in this ALS model. Our volumetric and thickness measures provide objective, quantitative metrics of this atrophy as shown on the next page.