In vivo measurement of rat brain water content at 9.4T using super-resolution reconstruction

Animal models have an indisputable role in the investigation of brain pathology. Investigating water content in vivo could lead to a better understanding of pathogenesis and hence, a robust technique to measure water content using MRI would be very beneficial. Here, we adapt a super-resolution-based technique, previously developed for humans, to the rat brain and report in vivo high-resolution (200μm isotropic) water content maps, obtained using a 9.4T MRI scanner. High resolution, isotropic water content maps of the rat brain are demonstrated. The water content values obtained using the proposed MR technique are compared with ex vivo wet/dry methods.