AUTHOR=Malheiros Jackeline Moraes , Paiva Fernando Fernandes , Longo Beatriz Monteiro , Hamani Clement , Covolan Luciene TITLE=Manganese-Enhanced MRI: Biological Applications in Neuroscience JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology VOLUME=6 YEAR=2015 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2015.00161 DOI=10.3389/fneur.2015.00161 ISSN=1664-2295 ABSTRACT=

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an excellent non-invasive tool to investigate biological systems. The administration of the paramagnetic divalent ion manganese (Mn2+) enhances MRI contrast in vivo. Due to similarities between Mn2+ and calcium (Ca2+), the premise of manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) is that the former may enter neurons and other excitable cells through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. As such, MEMRI has been used to trace neuronal pathways, define morphological boundaries, and study connectivity in morphological and functional imaging studies. In this article, we provide a brief overview of MEMRI and discuss recently published data to illustrate the usefulness of this method, particularly in animal models.