X-ray propagation-based equally sloped tomography for mouse brain.

BACKGROUND: The outstanding functional importance of the brain implies a strong need for brain imaging modalities. However, the current imaging approaches that target the brain in rodents remain suboptimal. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: In this paper, X-ray propagation-based phase contrast imaging combined with equally sloped tomography (PPCI-EST) was employed to nondestructively investigate the mouse brain. RESULTS: The grey and white matters, which have extremely small differences in electron density, were clearly discriminated. The fine structures, including the corpus callosum (cc), the optic chiasma (ox) and the caudate putamen (CPu), were revealed. Compared to the filtered back projection reconstruction, the PPCI-EST significantly reduce projection number while maintaining sufficient image quality. CONCLUSIONS: It could be a potential tool for fast and low-dose phase-contrast imaging to biomedical specimens.