Myemouse project: quantifying white matter and myelin loss in rodent brains. Histology validation and a software tool to process data

Details

Supervisors

Macq, Benoît

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil en mathématiques appliquées, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

To this day, there is a need for accurate quantitative non-invasive biomarkers to monitor myelin pathology in vivo and differentiate myelin alterations from other pathological aspects such as inflammation and axonal loss. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measurements such as T2, magnetization transfer ratio, and radial diffusivity, which are commonly used, have demonstrated sensitivity but not specificity. The latter can be achieved by registering histology data to MRI. A new Python tool has been developped that easily allows data plug-in from Bruker machines into a novel pipeline that will convert, process and exhibit interesting features from microstructural algorithms. These results have been analysed and confirmed by histology images on the Corpus callosum (CC) of cuprizoned mice during the Myemouse Project led from January 2020 to August 2022. In future studies, this tool may prove reliable in predicting with accuracy myelin loss within small mammal brains.