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Abstract:
The genetic and epigenetic code of genes procreate the brain structure. Deletion of a single gene can lead to drastic structural changes that can be detected using diffusion MRI. In this study, we investigated structural changes occurred due to deletion of all genes located at locus 16p11.2 in mouse, which are believed to be involved in Schizophrenia. In addition, we hypothesized; male and female mice process the deletion similarly or differently.
Thus, to detect the specific white matter micro-structural changes in ultra-high spatial resolution a custom made MR coil was used. Also, the generic diffusion analysis pipeline was adapted for mice. The analysis revealed that deletion of the gene-locus leads to decrease in the fiber integrity in inter-hemispheric communication, which is convergent with gene expression.