Abstract

The tongue consists of a complex, multiscale array of myofibers that comprise the anatomical underpinning of lingual mechanical function. 3-D myoarchitecture was imaged in mouse tongues with diffusion spectrum magnetic resonance imaging (DSI) at 9.4 T (b(max) 7000 smm, 150-microm isotropic voxels), a method that derives the preferential diffusion of water/voxel, and high-throughput (10 fps) two-photon microscope (TPM). Net fiber alignment was represented for each method in terms of the local maxima of an orientational distribution function (ODF) derived from the local diffusion (DSI) and 3-D structural autocorrelation (TPM), respectively. Mesoscale myofiber tracts were generated by alignment of the principal orientation vectors of the ODFs. These data revealed a consistent relationship between the properties of the respective ODFs and the virtual superimposition of the distributed mesoscale myofiber tracts. The identification of a mesoscale anatomical construct, which specifically links the microscopic and macroscopic spatial scales, provides a method for relating the orientation and distribution of cells and subcellular components with overall tissue morphology, thus contributing to the development of multiscale methods for mechanical analysis.