Eur J Anat, 20 (3): 195-203 (2016)

Anatomic study of the normal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) brain and associated structures using low field magnetic resonance imaging

José Raduan Jaber¹, Mario Encinoso², Daniel Morales¹, Alejandro Artiles², Moisés Santana¹, Diego Blanco¹, Alberto Arencibia¹

¹Department of Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain, ²Veterinary Hospital Los Tarahales, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper was to study the brain and associated structures of the Bengal tigerâ??s (Panthera tigris tigris) head  by low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A cadaver of a mature female was used to perform spin-echo T1 and T2-weighting pulse sequences in sagittal, transverse and dorsal planes, using a magnet of 0.2 Tesla. Relevant anatomic structures were identified and labelled on the MRI according to the location and the characteristic signal intensity of different organic tissues. Spin-echo T1 and T2-weighted MR images were useful to demonstrate the anatomy of the brain and associated structures of the Bengal tigerâ??s head. This study could enhance our understanding of normal brain anatomy in Bengal tigers.

Keywords: MRI, Anatomy, Brain, Bengal tiger