Anesthetic modulation of water diffusion: Insights from a diffusion tensor imaging study

A critical step in animal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies is the use of anesthetics. Understanding the influence of specific anesthesia regimes on DTI-derived parameters is imperative when comparing results between animal studies using different anesthetics. Here, the quantification of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) under different alpha-chloralose and isoflurane is discussed. The estimated MD under isoflurane anesthesia is higher than that under alpha-chloralose anesthesia. FA quantitation was also influenced by anesthesia regimens to varying extents, depending on the brain regions and b-values. In summary, both scanning parameters and the anesthesia regimens significantly impacted quantifications of DTI indices.