Extended Data Fig. 6: MicroCT imaging of spine and associated vasculature.
From: Brain motion is driven by mechanical coupling with the abdomen
a. The skeleton and spinal vasculature. b. A view of the vessels within the rib cage. The gap observed between the caudal vena cava and both cranial vena cava is occupied by the heart, which was not included. Note the lack of connections between the caudal vena cava and the vertebrae within the rib cage. c. A view of the L3, L4, and L5 vertebrae showing connections between the caudal vena cava and VVP within the vertebrae. d. The internal VVP is shown both with bone (left) and without bone (right). e. Two holes are present on the internal ventral surface of the vertebrae. These may act as pathways for veins in the abdomen to connect to the VVP within the lumbar section of the vertebral column. f. Visualization of the veins and vertebrae with a focus on the internal ventral holes in the bone. Veins occupy the holes in the vertebrae, which can be seen both when the bone is opaque (left) and semi-transparent (right). g. A view of the lumbar vertebral bones of a Swiss Webster mouse. Holes can be seen along the interior ventral surface of the vertebral bones, which are also present in the C57BL/6 mouse. h. A transverse view of the lumbar vessels both with bone (left) and without bone (right). A complex network of veins are present along the outer and inner surfaces of the vertebrae with projections through the ventral section of bone that connect the inner and outer networks.
