Abstract
Purpose: To report the visual resolution of multiple cell and vascular "layers" in the cat retina using MRI. Materials and Methods: T 2- and diffusion-weighted MRI at 4.7 Tesla was performed. Layer-specific thickness, T2, spin density, apparent diffusion coefficient perpendicular (ADC⊥) and parallel (ADC ∥) to the retinal surface were tabulated. T1-weighted MRI was acquired before and after Intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA and subtraction images were obtained. Histology was performed for validation. Results: Three distinct "layers" were observed. The inner strip nearest to the vitreous (exhibiting large T2, ADC, spin density with Gd-DTPA enhancement) overlapped the ganglion cell layer, bipolar cell layer, and the embedded retinal vascular layer. The middle strip (exhibiting small T 2, ADC, spin density without Gd-DTPA enhancement) overlapped the photoreceptor cell layer and the inner and outer segments. The outer strip (exhibiting large T2, ADC, spin density with Gd-DTPA enhancement) overlapped the tapetum and choroidal vascular layer. T2, spin density, ADC⊥ and ADC∥ of different "layers" were tabulated. The inner strip was slightly thicker than the other two strips. The total thickness, including neural and nonneural retina, was 358 ± 13μm (N = 6) by MRI and 319 ± 77 μm (N = 5) by histology. Conclusion: MRI provides a noninvasive tool to study the retina with laminar specificity without depth limitation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 465-472 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2006 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Cortical columns
- Cortical layers
- Gd-DTPA
- High-resolution MRI
- Laminar specificity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging