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Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
Age independently affects myelin integrity as detected by magnetization transfer magnetic resonance imaging in
R D Newbould1, R Nicholas2, C L Thomas2
1Imanova Centre for Imaging Sciences, London, UK ; Division of Experimental Medicine, Imperial College London, UK.
Background:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a heterogeneous disorder with a progressive course that is difficult to predict on a case-by-case basis. Natural history studies of MS have demonstrated that age influences clinical progression independent of disease duration.
Objective:
To determine whether age would be associated with greater CNS injury as detected by magnetization transfer MRI.
Materials And Methods:
Forty MS patients were recruited from out-patient clinics into two groups stratified by age but with similar clinical disease duration as well as thirteen controls age-matched to the older MS group. Images were segmented by automated programs and blinded readers into normal appearing white matter (NAWM), normal appearing gray matter (NAGM), and white matter lesions (WMLs) and gray matter lesions (GMLs) in the MS groups. WML and GML were delineated on T2-weighted 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and T1 weighted MRI volumes. Mean magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), region volume, as well as MTR histogram skew and kurtosis were calculated for each region.
Results:
All MTR measures in NAGM and MTR histogram metrics in NAWM differed between MS subjects and controls, as expected and previously reported by several studies, but not between MS groups. However, MTR measures in the WML did significantly differ between the MS groups, in spite of no significant differences in lesion counts and volumes.
Conclusions:
Despite matching for clinical disease duration and recording no significant WML volume difference, we demonstrated strong MTR differences in WMLs between younger and older MS patients. These data suggest that aging-related processes modify the tissue response to inflammatory injury and its clinical outcome correlates in MS.
Insights
Aging influences multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. Older MS patients show greater white matter lesion (WML) injury on magnetization transfer MRI, suggesting aging modifies inflammatory responses and clinical outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex neurological disorder with unpredictable progression.
- Age is a known factor influencing MS clinical progression, independent of disease duration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between patient age and central nervous system (CNS) injury in MS using magnetization transfer MRI.
- To assess if age impacts the severity of white matter lesions (WMLs) and normal-appearing brain tissue in MS patients.
Main Methods:
- Forty MS patients were divided into age-stratified groups with similar disease duration.
- Magnetization transfer MRI was used to analyze normal-appearing white matter (NAWM), normal-appearing gray matter (NAGM), and white matter lesions (WMLs).
- Mean magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) and histogram metrics were calculated for each tissue type.
Main Results:
- MTR measures in NAGM and NAWM differed between MS patients and controls.
- Significant differences in MTR measures were observed within white matter lesions (WMLs) between younger and older MS patient groups.
- These WML differences persisted despite no significant variations in lesion volume or count between the age groups.
Conclusions:
- Age-related processes significantly impact tissue changes in MS white matter lesions (WMLs).
- Aging modifies the inflammatory injury response in MS, influencing clinical outcomes.
- Magnetization transfer MRI can detect age-related differences in MS neuropathology.
