MRI in Developmental Biology and the Construction of Developmental Atlases

Microscopic magnetic resonance imaging (μMRI) is a noninvasive, nonoptical imaging modality that allows the entire volume of opaque specimens to be imaged. Because μMRI is not a destructive method, biologists are afforded anatomically unperturbed imagery of embryonic development and the ability to observe morphogenetic movements deep within optically inaccessible embryos. Compared with optical methods, μMRI data acquisition is slow, and image resolution is very low. This might suggest that μMRI is not viable for developmental studies. In this article, we discuss when μMRI is an appropriate imaging modality and how it has contributed to a richer understanding of embryonic development by allowing direct observation of dynamic processes in optically inaccessible regions of unperturbed embryos. We close the article with a discussion of μMRI for the construction of digital anatomical developmental atlases and how such atlases can be used