In vivo imaging of dorsal root ganglia in the mouse: from ex vivo MR-microscopy towards quantitative in vivo MRI

Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) transmit information from inside and outside the body to the central nervous system (CNS). The DRG’s unique multicellular unit of neurons, endothelial cells, satellite glial and immune cells undergoes remarkable changes after nerve injury and in neuropathic pain conditions and is a target for local and systemic pain therapies. DRG-magnetic resonance imaging (DRG-MRI) visualizes structural DRG injury in various neuropathic pain syndromes and has become a promising tool for detection and monitoring of DRG-pathology in humans. Here, we provide novel insights for murine DRG-MRI by applying MR-microscopy and high field MR-sequences optimized for DRG visualization and DRG-volumetry. We characterize murine DRG-volume (DRG_vol) as level specific for the lumbar levels L2 < L3 < L4 (p < 0.001) and positively correlated to height (p < 0.001), age (p < 0.001) and weight (p < 0.05) but independent of sex in a cohort of 24 wildtype mice. In a proof of principle experiment we report DRG-enlargement by up to 30 % in an α-galactosidase A deficient mouse model of Fabry disease (p < 0.01). Finally, we demonstrate the DRG’s high microvascular perfusion compared to muscle and spinal cord in dynamic contrast enhanced MRI in a subcohort of six wildtype mice. DRG-MRI is a promising non-invasive imaging method, applicable not only to humans but also to rodent models, which are frequently utilized in pain research. The parallel use of DRG-MRI in humans and rodents can enhance comparability and translatability in preclinical and clinical pain research thoroughly.