Table 3 Performance of different modalities applicable for depth-resolved (volumetric) imaging of the CNS.
| Imaging method |
Anatomical contrast |
Molecular/Functional contrast |
Sensitivity to contrast agents |
Spatial resolution (*) |
Penetration depth | Cost | Safety | Applicability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X-Ray CT | Medium | Poor | μmol (10-6) |
10-500 μm scalable | Whole-body | Medium | Medium |
Pre-clinical/ Clinical |
| MRI | Good | Medium | nmol (10-9) |
30-500 μm scalable | Whole-body | High | Good |
Pre-clinical/ Clinical |
| PET/SPECT | Poor | Good | fmol (10-14) | 1 - 5 mm | Whole-body | High | Medium |
Pre-clinical/ Clinical |
| 3D light microscopy | Good | Good | fmol (10-14) | 0.2 - 10 μm | Superficial (<1 mm) | Medium | Good | Pre-clinical |
| FMT | Poor | Good | pmol (10-12) | 1 - 2 mm | ~20 mm | Low | Good | Pre-clinical |
|
MSOT microscopy/ tomography | Good | Good | pmol (10-12) |
5 - 200 μm scalable | ~30 mm | Low | Good |
Pre-clinical/ Clinical |