Micron-resolution fiber mapping in brain histology independent of sample preparation

Motivation: Mapping brain's intricate fiber network is a key quest in neuroscience. However, diffusion MRI is expensive, slow, and probes thousands of fibers/voxel, while micron-resolution methods typically do not resolve crossings, probe limited filed-of-view, or need special sample preparations. Goal(s): To map fibers in brain sections from any sample preparation with micron-resolution. Approach: We use computational scattered light imaging (ComSLI) with a simple rotating light and camera setup on new or archived brain histology sections. Results: We generate micron-resolution fiber maps from histology sections of healthy and diseased human and animal brains, prepared with different protocols, providing ground-truth information for diffusion MRI fiber mapping. Impact: Using scattered light, we generate micrometer maps of brain fiber orientations in animal and human histology sections, and compare to diffusion MRI. This enables time- and cost-effective studies of brain micro-architecture on new and archived sections from any sample preparation.