Topological Analysis of Mouse Brain Vasculature via 3D Light-sheet Microscopy Images

Vascular networks play a crucial role in understanding brain functionalities. Brain integrity and function, neuronal activity and plasticity, which are crucial for learning, are actively modulated by their local environments, specifically vascular networks. With recent developments in high-resolution 3D light-sheet microscopy imaging together with tissue processing techniques, it becomes feasible to obtain and examine large-scale brain vasculature in mice. To establish a structural foundation for functional study, however, we need advanced image analysis and structural modeling methods. Existing works use geometric features such as thickness, tortuosity, etc. However, geometric features cannot fully capture structural characteristics such as the richness of branches, connectivity, etc. In this paper, we study the morphology of brain vasculature through a topological lens. We extract topological features based on the theory of topological data analysis. Comparing of these robust and multi-scale topological structural features across different brain anatomical structures and between normal and obese populations sheds light on their promising future in studying neurological diseases.