The Japan Monkey Centre Primates Brain Imaging Repository for comparative neuroscience: an archive of digital records including records for endangered species

Tomoko Sakai, Junichi Hata, Hiroki Ohta, Yuta Shintaku, Naoto Kimura, Yuki Ogawa, Kazumi Sogabe, Susumu Mori, Hirotaka James Okano, Yuzuru Hamada, Shinsuke Shibata, Hideyuki Okano, Kenichi Oishi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computational analysis technology have enabled comparisons among various primate brains in a three-dimensional electronic format. Results from comparative studies provide information about common features across primates and species-specific features of neuroanatomy. Investigation of various species of non-human primates is important for understanding such features, but the majority of comparative MRI studies have been based on experimental primates, such as common marmoset, macaques, and chimpanzee. A major obstacle has been the lack of a database that includes non-experimental primates’ brain MRIs. To facilitate scientific discoveries in the field of comparative neuroanatomy and brain evolution, we launched a collaborative project to develop an open-resource repository of non-human primate brain images obtained using ex vivo MRI. As an initial open resource, here we release a collection of structural MRI and diffusion tensor images obtained from 12 species: pygmy marmoset, owl monkey, white-fronted capuchin, crab-eating macaque, Japanese macaque, bonnet macaque, toque macaque, Sykes’ monkey, red-tailed monkey, Schmidt’s guenon, de Brazza’s guenon, and lar gibbon. Sixteen postmortem brain samples from the 12 species, stored in the Japan Monkey Centre (JMC), were scanned using a 9.4-T MRI scanner and made available through the JMC collaborative research program (http://www.j-monkey.jp/BIR/index_e.html). The expected significant contributions of the JMC Primates Brain Imaging Repository include (1) resources for comparative neuroscience research, (2) preservation of various primate brains, including those of endangered species, in a permanent digital form, (3) resources with higher resolution for identifying neuroanatomical features, compared to previous MRI atlases, (4) resources for optimizing methods of scanning large fixed brains, and (5) references for veterinary neuroradiology. User-initiated research projects beyond these contributions are also anticipated.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)553-570
Number of pages18
JournalPrimates
Volume59
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 2018

Keywords

  • Brain samples
  • Comparative neuroscience
  • Database
  • Diffusion tensor imaging
  • Endangered species
  • Evolution
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • Primate

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Animal Science and Zoology

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