Diffusion-Weighted Imaging of the Rat Hippocampus with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Place an anesthetized rat with a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner bed in a prone position.

Position the radiofrequency coil over its head to ensure optimal signal-to-noise ratio.

Advance the scanner bed into the scanner bore and perform a three-plane scout scan to center the brain within the magnetic field.

Acquire T2-weighted images to check for abnormalities. Then, position the slice package to include the brain bulb and cerebellum.

Next, load the diffusion-weighted imaging sequence and configure diffusion parameters to capture microstructural details.

Restrict the field of view to the cerebrum to minimize artifacts and reduce scan time.

Acquire diffusion-weighted images (DWI) sequentially to measure water molecule movement within brain tissues.

Bright areas on DWI indicate restricted diffusion, highlighting axonal injury and hippocampal microstructural damage from mTBI.

After completion of the scan, allow the rat to recover.

Before, and one day following the trauma induction, confirm a lack of response to toe pinch in the experimental animal, and place the animal on the MRI scanner bed in a head-first prone position. Slide the quadrature