MRI of whole brain formalin-fixed samples at 9.4T: influence of the fixation agent and its dielectric properties on image quality

MRI of post mortem samples in formalin is an essential tool for validation purposes and comparison with clinical histology, since fixation preserve several microstructural tissue features. We found that the dielectric properties of the fixative influences image quality attained in whole brain post mortem samples at 9.4T. The standard fixative prevented high quality MRI across the entire sample. By using a high conductivity fixative with less field focussing, a more homogeneous excitation was achieved without any drop outs and T1 mapping could be performed using rapid inversion recovery techniques