title: Detection of demyelination in multiple sclerosis by analysis of [Formula: see text] relaxation at 7 T.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a relatively common cause of inflammatory demyelinating lesions of the central nervous system. In an attempt to detect and characterize ongoing demyelination in MS patient brains, we used a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, involving the fitting of a three-component model to the [Formula: see text] relaxation behavior at high-field (7 T). This model allowed estimation of the amount of myelin water (and thus indirectly myelin content), axonal water, and interstitial water. In this study, 25 relapsing-remitting MS patients underwent a 7 T MRI from which 12 gadolinium-enhancing lesions, 61 non-enhancing lesions, and their corresponding contralateral normal appearing white matter (NAWM) regions were analyzed. In both enhancing and non-enhancing lesions, the amplitude of myelin water was significantly decreased, and interstitial and axonal water were increased relative to the contralateral NAWM. Longer relaxation time [Formula: see text] of interstitial and axonal water, and lower frequency shift of axonal water, were also observed in both enhancing and non-enhancing lesions when compared to the contralateral NAWM. No significant difference was found between enhancing lesions and non-enhancing lesions. These findings suggest that the fitting of a three-component model to the [Formula: see text] decay curve in MS lesions may help to quantify myelin loss.
authors.affiliation: Advanced MRI Section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.|Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Disease Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm SE-141 57, Sweden.
authors.forename: Xiaozhen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Advanced MRI Section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Gelderen
authors.affiliation: Translational Neuroradiology Unit, Division of Neuroimmunology and Neurovirology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sati
authors.affiliation: Advanced MRI Section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Jacco A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de Zwart
authors.affiliation: Translational Neuroradiology Unit, Division of Neuroimmunology and Neurovirology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.affiliation: Advanced MRI Section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Jeff H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Duyn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D003287:Contrast Media; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000473:pathology; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; C090600:gadobutrol
keywords: Demyelination; Multiple sclerosis; Water compartment; [Formula: see text] relaxation