Three Dimensional Observation of the Vascular Networks in the Brain
Abstract: The vascular networks in the brain are easily observed by filling vessels with the India ink, acrylic resin, fluorochrome-labeled gelatin and so on. The three dimensional distribution of the vascular networks in the brain can be observed with a confocal laser scanning microscope by filling the vessels with fluorochrome-labeled gelatin. However, it is confined to a part of the brain because of the limitation of the thickness of the specimen. Recently, we have developed and reported a novel method for acquiring serial images suitable for three-dimensional reconstruction of vascular networks in the whole brain of the mouse. In this method, the brain was infused with a White India ink-gelatin solution and embedded in paraffin containing Sudan Black B. The series of serial images were acquired from each sliced surface of the paraffin block without distortion and a problem of the alignment and registration of adjacent images. The three-dimensional image reconstructed from the serial images by the volume-rendering indicated the vascular networks in the whole brain. This volume-rendered image have made it possible to examine the vascular network in the whole brain from any direction, and will be helpful for the investigation of the brain vascular system in various fields.
Key words: brain, vascular networks, three-dimensional reconstruction, mouse