Here, we present a serial OCT/confocal scanner for histological study of the mouse brain. Three axis linear stages combined with a sectioning vibratome allows to cut thru the entire biological tissue and to image every section at a microscopic resolution. After acquisition, each OCT volume and confocal image is re-stitched with adjacent acquisitions to obtain a reconstructed, digital volume of the imaged tissue. This imaging platform was used to investigate correlations between white matter and microvasculature changes in aging mice. Three age groups were used in this study (4, 12, 24 months). At sacrifice, mice were transcardially perfused with a FITC containing gel. The dual imaging capability of the system allowed to reveal different contrast information: OCT imaging reveals changes in refractive indices giving contrast between white and grey matter in the mouse brain, while transcardial perfusion of a FITC shows microsvasculature in the brain with confocal imaging.

Date Published: 2 March 2015
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9328, Imaging, Manipulation, and Analysis of Biomolecules, Cells, and Tissues XIII, 93281M (2 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2077830

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9328:
Imaging, Manipulation, and Analysis of Biomolecules, Cells, and Tissues XIII
Daniel L. Farkas; Dan V. Nicolau; Robert C. Leif, Editor(s)