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Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
Characterisation of tissue-type metabolic content in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a magnetic resonance
Ian Marshall1, Michael J Thrippleton2, Mark E Bastin2
1Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Ian.Marshall@ed.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy yields metabolic information and has proved to be a useful addition to structural imaging in neurological diseases. We applied short-echo time Spectroscopic Imaging in a cohort of 42 patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Linear modelling with respect to brain tissue type yielded metabolite levels that were significantly different in white matter lesions compared with normal-appearing white matter, suggestive of higher myelin turnover (higher choline), higher metabolic rate (higher creatine) and increased glial activity (higher myo-inositol) within the lesions. These findings suggest that the lesions have ongoing cellular activity that is not consistent with the usual assumption of 'chronic' lesions in SPMS, and may represent a target for repair therapies.
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