Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of focal or diffuse myelin damage or remyelination may provide important insights into disease progression and potential treatment efficacy in multiple sclerosis (MS). We performed post-mortem MRI and histopathological myelin measurements in seven progressive MS cases to evaluate the ability of three myelin-sensitive MRI scans to distinguish different stages of MS pathology, particularly chronic demyelinated and remyelinated lesions. At 3 Tesla, we acquired two different myelin water imaging (MWI) scans and magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The multi-exponential T decay of the MRI signal from cerebral white matter can be separated into short T components related to myelin water and long T components related to intracellular and extracellular water. In this study, we investigated to what degree the apparent myelin water fraction (MWF) depends on the angle between white matter fibers and the main magnetic field.
Methods: Maps of the apparent MWF were acquired using multi-echo Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill and gradient-echo spin-echo sequences.
Importance: Cognitive impairment is a debilitating symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) that affects up to 70% of patients. An improved understanding of the underlying pathology of MS-related cognitive impairment would provide considerable benefit to patients and clinicians.
Objective: To determine whether there is an association between myelin damage in tissue that appears completely normal on standard clinical imaging, but can be detected by myelin water imaging (MWI), with cognitive performance in MS.
Brain myelin and iron content are important parameters in neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Both myelin and iron content influence the brain's R relaxation rate. However, their quantification based on R maps requires a realistic tissue model that can be fitted to the measured data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Clin Transl Neurol
February 2019
Radiation necrosis mostly occurs in and near the radiation field. We used magnetic resonance imaging to study radiation-induced necrosis of atypical onset, severity, and extent following stereotactic radiosurgery for a symptomatic arteriovenous malformation. Susceptibility-sensitive imaging, T-relaxation, myelin water imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy were acquired three times up to 52 months postradiosurgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Magnetic resonance relaxometry studies in multiple sclerosis (MS) have suggested that iron accumulates within deep gray matter (DGM) structures early in the disease course. However, the commonly utilized mean R2* and magnetic susceptibility measures reflect regional iron concentration but not a structure's total iron content. Thus, tissue atrophy could impact mean R2* and magnetic susceptibility estimates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlood vessel related magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast provides a window into the brain's metabolism and function. Here, we show that the spin echo dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI signal of the brain's white matter (WM) strongly depends on the angle between WM tracts and the main magnetic field. The apparent cerebral blood flow and volume are 20% larger in fibres perpendicular to the main magnetic field compared to parallel fibres.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSusceptibility-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has gained importance in multiple sclerosis (MS) research because of its versatility, high resolution and excellent sensitivity to changes in tissue structure and composition. In particular, mapping of the resonance frequency of the MR signal and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) have been explored for the description of MS lesions. Many current studies utilizing these techniques attribute increases in the MR frequency or QSM to elevated tissue iron content, in addition to myelin loss.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMeasurements of cerebral perfusion using dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging rely on the assumption of isotropic vascular architecture. However, a considerable fraction of vessels runs in parallel with white matter tracts. Here, we investigate the effects of tissue orientation on dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the most common neurological disorders. Hemorrhagic lesions and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are radiological features associated with moderate and severe TBI. Brain volume reductions have also been observed during the months following injury.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFR2* relaxometry of the brain is a quantitative magnetic resonance technique which is influenced by iron and myelin content across different brain regions. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common inflammatory, demyelinating disease affecting both white and grey matter regions of the CNS. Using R2*, increased iron deposition has been described in deep gray matter of MS patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We investigated the evolution of new multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions over time using frequency shifts of the magnetic resonance (MR) signal.
Methods: Twenty patients with relapsing-remitting MS were serially scanned for 6 months at 1-month intervals. Maps of MR frequency shifts were acquired using susceptibility-weighted imaging.
MRI phase images of the brain exhibit excellent contrast and high signal-to-noise ratio. It has been shown recently that the phase contrast not only depends on a tissue's magnetic susceptibility but also on its architecture, which offers new ways of studying biological tissues in vivo. We combined diffusion tensor imaging and multi-echo susceptibility-weighted imaging to investigate the relationship between white matter fibre orientation and gradient-echo phase and magnitude.
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