title: Feasibility of imaging myelin lesions in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: The goal of this study was to provide a feasibility assessment for PET imaging of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions based on their decreased myelin content relative to the surrounding normal-appearing brain tissue. The imaging agent evaluated for this purpose is a molecule that binds strongly and specifically to myelin basic protein. Physiology-based pharmacokinetic modeling combined with PET image simulation applied to a brain model was used to examine whether such an agent would allow the differentiation of artificial lesions 4-10 mm in diameter from the surrounding normal-looking white and gray matter. Furthermore, we examined how changes in agent properties, model parameters, and experimental conditions can influence imageability, identifying a set of conditions under which imaging of MS lesions might be feasible. Based on our results, we concluded that PET imaging has the potential to become a useful complementary method to MRI for MS diagnosis and therapy monitoring.
authors.affiliation: General Electric Global Research Center, 1 Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309, USA.
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Zavodszky
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.forename: Cristina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Tan Hehir