The value of a cryoprobe to mouse resting-state fMRI

Motivation: Resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) is a valuable neuroimaging technique that is difficult to execute well in mice but can benefit from higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Goal(s): Cryoprobes (CP) provide ~2.5-fold increase in SNR compared to room-temperature (RT) coils. The aim was to determine the added value of a cryoprobe to mouse rsfMRI. Approach: Mice were scanned using the same protocol (anesthesia, scanner, and pulse sequences) but with either a CP or RT coil. The same processing pipeline was used to perform seed-based analysis. Results: Compared to the RT data, the CP data displayed increased inter-hemispheric functional connectivity in the primary somatosensory cortex. Impact: Mouse rsfMRI is difficult but feasible through careful optimization (animal handling, anaesthesia, pulse sequence parameters, etc.). A cryoprobe can significantly improve the quality of mouse rsfMRI studies and may enhance the detection of biological effects with smaller group sizes.