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Researchers train sheep to complete awake MRI imaging
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by INRAE - National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and
Environment
A group of sheep. Credit: INRAE - Sophie Normant
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a technique commonly used to
explore the brains of sheep. Until now, it had only been performed
under general anesthesia, to ensure the animal's immobility.
Anesthesia, however, leads to stress and other negative side-effects,
in addition to jeopardizing the study of brain activity.
A research team from INRAE has developed a training protocol adapted
to sheep in order to carry out MRI acquisitions in animals while they
are awake, without the need for restraint. To do this, researchers
drew on previous work with dogs, which until now had been the only
animal species capable of carrying out this type of protocol.
In the nursery of the Animal Physiology Facility experimental research
unit (UEPAO), located at the INRAE Val de Loire center in Nouzilly,
researchers began a familiarization phase as soon as the lambs were
born. The objective was to identify which animals were most receptive
to being stroked or to having foam objects placed near their heads.
The paper is published in the journal _Behavior Research Methods_.
After choosing 10 lambs, an initial training phase took place at the
Nouzilly sheep farm. The research team trained the animals to climb a
ramp to reach a mock MRI scanner and then lie down. The lambs were
also taught to place their heads in a mock MRI coil.
Once they arrived at the real MRI room, the sheep were able to
reproduce the same behavior very easily, but had some difficulty
remaining perfectly still. It took a few weeks for the animals to get
used to the vibrations of the machine and stop moving for a few
minutes. Ultimately, the MRI images of their brains were comparable to
those obtained from anesthetized sheep, a goal that was initially
achieved in six out of the ten sheep trained at the time of writing,
and has since been achieved in nine sheep. The protocol lasted nine
months, from the birth of the lambs to the first MRI acquisitions.
Sheep performing brain MRI acquisition. A The head position in the
sheep RF coil. The head is "blocked" with foam pieces adapted to each
individual. A trainer is at the front of the bore with a hand placed
on the sheep's back; B The other trainer sat at the back of the bore,
facing the sheep, to maintain visual contact. Credit: _Behavior
Research Methods_ (2024). DOI: 10.3758/s13428-024-02449-6
The success of this protocol is already opening up new avenues for
research into animal neuroimaging (e.g., fMRI)—since it makes it
possible to study brain function in awake animals. A study looking
into the activation of certain brain regions in relation to hearing is
currently underway, and is the subject of a Ph.D. thesis that relies
on this training protocol.
This example of voluntary cooperation between trainer and sheep
illustrates the animal's ability to learn, and underlines the
importance of human-animal relationships in the development of
innovative methods. The study also opens up new possibilities for
training other animals to carry out awake MRI scans. Such training
methods could have numerous other applications, in areas such as
shearing or medical training—when the animal learns to collaborate
during veterinary care.
**More information:** Camille Pluchot et al, Sheep (Ovis aries)
training protocol for voluntary awake and unrestrained structural
brain MRI acquisitions, _Behavior Research Methods_ (2024). DOI:
10.3758/s13428-024-02449-6
Provided by INRAE - National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food
and Environment
**Citation** : Researchers train sheep to complete awake MRI imaging
(2024, July 1) retrieved 3 July 2024 from
https://phys.org/news/2024-07-sheep-mri-imaging.html
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