INRA, UMR1079 SENAH, 35590 Saint-Gilles, France.
Animal. 2009 Aug;3(8):1138-51. doi: 10.1017/S1751731109004649.
The pig model is increasingly used in the field of neuroscience because of the similarities of its brain with human. This review presents the peculiarities of the anatomy and functions of the pig brain with specific reference to its human counterpart. We propose an approximate mapping of the pig's cortical areas since a comprehensive description of the equivalent of Brodmann's areas is lacking. On the contrary, deep brain structures are received more consideration but a true three-dimensional (3D) atlas is still eagerly required. In the second section, we present an overview of former works describing the use of functional imaging and neuronavigation in the pig model. Recently, the pig has been increasingly used for molecular imaging studies using positron emission tomography (PET). Indeed, the large size of its brain is compatible with the limited spatial resolution of the PET scanner built to accommodate a human being. Similarly, neuronavigation is an absolute requirement to target deep brain areas in human and in pig since the surgeon cannot rely on external skull structures for zeroing the 3D reference frame. Therefore, a large body of methodological refinements has been dedicated to image guided surgery in the pig model. These refinements allow now a millimetre precision: an absolute requirement for basal nuclei targeting. In the third section, several examples of ongoing studies in our laboratory were presented to illustrate the intricacies of using the pig model. For both examples, after a brief description of the scientific context of the experiment, we present, in detail, the methodological steps required to achieve the experimental goals, which are specific to the porcine model. Finally, in the fourth section, the anatomical variations depending on the breed and age are discussed in relation with neuronavigation and brain surgery. The need for a digitized multimodality brain atlas is also highlighted.
猪模型由于其大脑与人脑的相似性，在神经科学领域的应用日益广泛。本文介绍了猪脑的解剖和功能特点，并特别参考了其与人类大脑的对应关系。我们提出了猪大脑皮质区域的近似映射，因为缺乏对布罗德曼区域等效物的全面描述。相反，深脑结构受到了更多的关注，但仍然迫切需要真正的三维（3D）图谱。在第二部分，我们概述了以前描述在猪模型中使用功能成像和神经导航的工作。最近，猪越来越多地用于使用正电子发射断层扫描（PET）进行分子成像研究。事实上，其大脑的大小与其为适应人类而建造的 PET 扫描仪的有限空间分辨率相匹配。同样，由于外科医生无法依靠外部颅骨结构来确定 3D 参考框架，因此在人类和猪的深脑区域靶向时，神经导航是绝对必要的。因此，大量的方法学改进被专门用于猪模型的图像引导手术。这些改进现在允许达到毫米级精度：这是针对基底核靶向的绝对要求。在第三部分，我们介绍了实验室正在进行的几个研究示例，以说明使用猪模型的复杂性。对于这两个示例，在简要描述实验的科学背景后，我们详细介绍了实现实验目标所需的方法步骤，这些步骤是特定于猪模型的。最后，在第四部分，讨论了与神经导航和脑手术相关的品种和年龄的解剖变化。还强调了需要数字化的多模态脑图谱。
