Myelin content changes in Clinically Isolated Syndrome and Relapsing- Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Associations with lesion type and severity of visuomotor impairment.

Background: Cognitive disturbances occur in patients with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RR-MS) and Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS). The Multi-Echo-Spin-Echo (MESE) T2-weighted sequence quantifies demyelination, the pathological hallmark of MS, but has not been used for the documentation of the potential relationship between anatomically specific demyelinating changes and cognitive impairment in MS.

Purpose: To identify markers of regional demyelination in patients with RR-MS and CIS in relation to clinical variables and severity of cognitive impairment.