Small animal multimodal biomedical imaging refers to the integration of multiple imaging techniques within the same system or device to acquire comprehensive physiological and pathological information of small animals, such as mice and rats. With the continuous advancement of biomedical research, this cutting-edge technology has attracted extensive attention. Multimodal imaging techniques, based on diverse imaging principles, overcome the limitations of single-modal imaging through information fusion, significantly enhancing the overall system's sensitivity, temporal/spatial resolution, and quantitative accuracy. In the future, the integration of new materials and artificial intelligence will further boost its sensitivity and resolution. Through interdisciplinary innovation, this technology is expected to become the core technology of personalized medicine and expand its applications to drug development, environmental monitoring, and other fields, thus reshaping the landscape of biomedical research and clinical practice. This review summarized the progress on the application and investigation of multimodal biomedical imaging techniques, and discussed its development in the future.
Animals ; Multimodal Imaging/trends* ; Rats ; Mice ; Artificial Intelligence ; Diagnostic Imaging/methods* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate preterm white matter injury (PWMI) in neonatal rats using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with histological assessments and to explore its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Healthy 3-day-old Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group and a PWMI group (n=12 in each group). A PWMI model was established in neonatal rats through hypoxia-ischemia. Laser speckle imaging was used to observe changes in cerebral oxygen saturation and blood flow at different time points post-modeling. Multimodal MRI was employed to assess the condition of white matter injury, while hematoxylin-eosin staining was utilized to observe morphological changes in the striatal area on the injured side. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to detect the proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells. RESULTS: At 0, 6, 12, 24, and 72 hours post-modeling, the relative blood flow and relative oxygen saturation on the injured side in the PWMI group were significantly lower than those in the sham operation group (P<0.05). At 24 hours post-modeling, T2-weighted imaging showed high signals in the white matter of the injured side in the PWMI group, with relative apparent diffusion coefficient values and Lorenz differential values being lower than those in the sham operation group (P<0.001); additionally, the arrangement of nerve cells in the PWMI group was disordered, and the number of EdU⁺PDGFR-α⁺ cells was higher than that in the sham operation group (P<0.001). At 28 days post-modeling, the relative fractional anisotropy values, the number of EdU⁺Olig2⁺ cells, and the fluorescence intensity of myelin basic protein and neurofilament protein 200 in the white matter region of the PWMI group were all lower than those in the sham operation group (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Multimodal MRI can evaluate early and long-term changes in PWMI in neonatal rat models in vivo, providing both imaging and pathological evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of PWMI in neonates. Hypoxia-ischemia inhibits the proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in neonatal rats, leading to PWMI.
Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Rats ; White Matter/injuries* ; Animals, Newborn ; Female ; Multimodal Imaging ; Male ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain/pathology*

OBJECTIVES: To construct a bone tumor classification model based on feature decoupling and fusion for processing modality loss and fusing multimodal information to improve classification accuracy. METHODS: A decoupling completion module was designed to extract local and global bone tumor image features from available modalities. These features were then decomposed into shared and modality-specific features, which were used to complete the missing modality features, thereby reducing completion bias caused by modality differences. To address the challenge of modality differences that hinder multimodal information fusion, a cross-attention-based fusion module was introduced to enhance the model's ability to learn cross-modal information and fully integrate specific features, thereby improving the accuracy of bone tumor classification. RESULTS: The experiment was conducted using a bone tumor dataset collected from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University for training and testing. Among the 7 available modality combinations, the proposed method achieved an average AUC, accuracy, and specificity of 0.766, 0.621, and 0.793, respectively, which represent improvements of 2.6%, 3.5%, and 1.7% over existing methods for handling missing modalities. The best performance was observed when all the modalities were available, resulting in an AUC of 0.837, which still reached 0.826 even with MRI alone. CONCLUSIONS The proposed method can effectively handle missing modalities and successfully integrate multimodal information, and show robust performance in bone tumor classification under various complex missing modality scenarios.
Humans ; Bone Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Multimodal Imaging/methods* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Algorithms

Mild repetitive head injury is a serious health problem with long-term negative consequences. Changes in brain neurobiology were assessed with MRI in a model of head injury designed to reflect the human experience. Rats were maintained on a reverse light-dark cycle and head impacted daily at 24 h intervals over three days while fully awake under red light illumination. There was no neuroradiological evidence of brain damage. Rats were imaged for changes in blood brain barrier permeability, edema and gray matter microarchitecture, and resting state functional connectivity. Data were registered to a 3D MRI rat atlas with 173 segmented brain areas providing site-specific information on each imaging modality. Changes in BBB permeability were minimal and localized to the hippocampus and cerebellum. There was evidence of cytotoxic edema in the basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum. There was a global decrease in connectivity and an increase in gliosis in the thalamus, cerebellum, and hippocampus. This study shows a sequelae of neuropathology caused by mild repetitive head injury that is commonly observed in clinical practice using MRI in patients. As such, it may serve as a model for testing the efficacy of new therapeutics using any or all of the measures as biomarkers to assess drug efficacy.
Animals ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Brain/physiopathology* ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Blood-Brain Barrier/diagnostic imaging* ; Multimodal Imaging ; Wakefulness/physiology* ; Craniocerebral Trauma/physiopathology*

A complete plant body consists of elements on different scales, including microscopic molecules, mesoscopic multicellular structures, and macroscopic tissues and organs, which are interconnected to form complex biological networks. The growth and development of plants involve the regulation of elements on different scales and their biological networks, which requires the coordinated operation of multiple molecules, cells, tissues, and organs. It is difficult to reveal the essence of multi-level life activities by a single method or technology. In recent years, the development of various novel imaging technologies has provided new approaches for revealing the complex life activities in plants. Using multi-modal imaging technologies to study the cross-scale network connections of plants from the microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic levels is crucial for understanding the complex internal connections behind biological functions. This paper first summarizes multi-modal cross-scale imaging technologies, three-dimensional reconstruction, and image processing methods, outlines the basic framework of cross-scale network connection properties, and then summarizes the applications of multi-modal imaging technologies in elucidating plant multi-scale networks. Finally, this review systematically integrates the combined analysis of cross-scale 3D spatial structural data and single-cell omics, laying a theoretical foundation for the innovation of novel plant imaging technologies. Furthermore, it provides a new research paradigm for in-depth exploration of the interaction mechanisms among cross-scale elements and the principles of biological network connectivity in plant life activities.
Plants/metabolism* ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods* ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Multimodal Imaging/methods* ; Plant Physiological Phenomena

Objective: Solid and micropapillary pattern are highly invasive histologic subtypes in lung adenocarcinoma and are associated with poor prognosis while the biopsy sample is not enough for the accurate histological diagnosis. This study aims to assess the correlation and predictive efficacy between metabolic parameters in (18)F-fluorodeoxy glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET-CT), including the maximum SUV (SUV(max)), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) and solid and micropapillary histological subtypes in lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: A total of 145 resected lung adenocarcinomas were included. The clinical data and preoperative (18)F-FDG PET-CT data were retrospectively analyzed. Mann-Whitney U test was used for the comparison of the metabolic parameters between solid and micropapillary subtype group and other subtypes group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and areas under curve (AUC) were used for evaluating the prediction efficacy of metabolic parameters for solid or micropapillary patterns. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the prediction factors of the presence of solid or micropapillary subtypes. Results: Median SUV(max) and TLG in solid and papillary predominant subtypes group (15.07 and 34.98, respectively) were significantly higher than those in other subtypes predominant group (6.03 and 10.16, respectively, P<0.05). ROC curve revealed that SUV(max) and TLG had good efficacy for prediction of solid and micropapillary predominant subtypes [AUC=0.811(95% CI: 0.715~0.907) and 0.725(95% CI: 0.610~0.840), P<0.05]. Median SUV(max) and TLG in lung adenocarcinoma with the solid or micropapillary patterns (11.58 and 22.81, respectively) were significantly higher than those in tumors without solid and micropapillary patterns (4.27 and 6.33, respectively, P<0.05). ROC curve revealed that SUV(max) and TLG had good efficacy for predicting the presence of solid or micropapillary patterns [AUC=0.757(95% CI: 0.679~0.834) and 0.681(95% CI: 0.595~0.768), P<0.005]. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the clinical stage (Stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ), SUV(max) ≥10.27 and TLG≥7.12 were the independent predictive factors of the presence of solid or micropapillary patterns (P<0.05). Conclusions: Preoperative SUV(max) and TLG of lung adenocarcinoma have good prediction efficacy for the presence of solid or micropapillary patterns, especially for the solid and micropapillary predominant subtypes and are independent factors of the presence of solid or micropapillary patterns.
Adenocarcinoma of Lung/diagnostic imaging* ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/metabolism* ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Multimodal Imaging/methods* ; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography ; Positron-Emission Tomography/methods* ; Prognosis ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Tumor Burden

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is an important treatment for patients with Parkinson's disease in the middle and late stages. The accuracy of the implantation of electrode at the location of the nuclei directly determines the therapeutic effect of the operation. At present, there is no single imaging method that can obtain images with electrodes, nuclei and their positional relationship. In addition, the subthalamic nucleus is small in size and the boundary is not obvious, so it cannot be directly segmented. In this paper, a complete end-to-end DBS effect evaluation pipeline was constructed using magnetic resonance (MR) data of T1, T2 and SWI weighted by DBS surgery. Firstly, the images of preoperative and postoperative patients are registered and normalized to the same coordinate space. Secondly, the patient map is obtained by non-rigid registration of brain map and preoperative data, as well as the preoperative nuclear cluster prediction position. Then, a three-dimensional (3D) image of the positional relationship between the electrode and the nucleus is obtained by using the electrode path in the postoperative image and the result of the nuclear segmentation. The 3D image is helpful for the evaluation of the postoperative effect of DBS and provides effective information for postoperative program control. After analysis, the algorithm can achieve a good registration between the patient's DBS surgical image and the brain map. The error between the algorithm and the expert evaluation of the physical coordinates of the center of the thalamus is (1.590 ± 1.063) mm. The problem of postoperative evaluation of the placement of DBS surgical electrodes is solved.
Brain Mapping ; methods ; Deep Brain Stimulation ; Electrodes, Implanted ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Multimodal Imaging ; Parkinson Disease ; surgery ; Subthalamic Nucleus

Adult ; Aneurysm, Dissecting ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Computed Tomography Angiography ; methods ; Conservative Treatment ; methods ; Coronary Angiography ; methods ; Coronary Vessels ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Electrocardiography ; methods ; Heart Injuries ; complications ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine ; methods ; Male ; Multimodal Imaging ; methods ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating ; complications

Background: Ongoing efforts have been made to identify new neuroimaging markers to track amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression. This study aimed to explore the monitoring value of multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the disease progression of ALS. Methods: From September 2015 to March 2017, ten patients diagnosed with ALS in Peking Union Medical College Hospital completed head MRI scans at baseline and during follow-up. Multimodal MRI analyses, including gray matter (GM) volume measured by voxel-based morphometry; cerebral blood flow (CBF) evaluated by arterial spin labeling; functional connectivity, including low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo), measured by resting-state functional MRI; and integrity of white-matter (WM) fiber tracts evaluated by diffusion tensor imaging, were performed in these patients. Comparisons of imaging metrics were made between baseline and follow-up using paired t-test. Results: In the longitudinal comparisons, the brain structure (GM volume of the right precentral gyri, left postcentral gyri, and right thalami) and perfusion (CBF of the bilateral temporal poles, left precentral gyri, postcentral gyri, and right middle temporal gyri) in both motor and extramotor areas at follow-up were impaired to different extents when compared with those at baseline (all P < 0.05, false discovery rate adjusted). Functional connectivity was increased in the motor areas (fALFF of the right precentral gyri and superior frontal gyri, and ReHo of right precentral gyri) and decreased in the extramotor areas (fALFF of the bilateral middle frontal gyri and ReHo of the right precuneus and cingulate gyri) (all P < 0.001, unadjusted). No significant changes were detected in terms of brain WM measures. Conclusion Multimodal MRI could be used to monitor short-term brain changes in ALS patients.
Adult ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multimodal Imaging ; methods ; Prospective Studies

Aged ; Asian People ; Humans ; Image-Guided Biopsy/methods* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multimodal Imaging/methods* ; Prostate/pathology* ; Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology* ; Rectum/diagnostic imaging* ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Ultrasonography