MRI in Animal Models of Psychiatric Disorders

Here we describe MRI and ¹ H MRS protocols for the investigation of animal models (mainly mice and rats) of psychiatric disorders. The introduction provides general findings from brain imaging studies in patients with psychiatric diseases and refers to general rules regarding the use of animal models in research. The methods section includes a selection of basic 9.4 T MRI and MRS protocols applicable for the investigation of animal models of psychiatric disorders (T1W, T2W, FLAIR, ¹ H MRS). The notes section discusses in detail a series of factors that can influence the outcome of the experiment: from animal handling, stress-triggering aspects, and experimental design-related factors to technical aspects that affect T ₁ and T ₂ measurements.