Guillaume Radecki1,
Ileana Ozana Jelescu1, Romuald Nargeot2, Denis Le Bihan1,
Luisa Ciobanu1
1Neurospin,
CEA, Gif sur Yvette, France; 2Institut de Neurosciences cognitives
et intgratives d'Aquitaine, Universit Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux,
France
Manganese enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) has been successfully used to map neuronal activity in small animals. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that MEMRI can be used to label activity-dependent Mn2+ uptake into the nervous system of a widespread model system in neuroscience, the Aplysia californica. Specifically, we show differences in Mn2+ accumulation into the neurons of ganglia coming from stimulated and non-stimulated animals. Such studies have the potential to provide insight into crucial neurological processes and into how specific molecular alterations give rise to modifications of neuronal circuitries.