Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 1, 2026
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Diffusion basis spectrum imaging provides insights into MS pathology
Peng Sun1, Ajit George1, Dana C Perantie1
1From the Radiology (P.S., A.G., Z.Y., S.-K.S.), Washington University in Saint Louis, MO; Neurology (D.C.P., R.T.N., A.H.C.), Washington University in Saint Louis, MO; and Biostatistics Shared Resource (K.T.), Washington University in Saint Louis, Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO.
Objective:
To use diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI) to assess how damage to normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in the corpus callosum (CC) influences neurologic impairment in people with MS (pwMS).
Methods:
Using standard MRI, the primary pathologies in MS of axonal injury/loss, demyelination, and inflammation are not differentiated well. DBSI has been shown in animal models, phantoms, and in biopsied and autopsied human CNS tissues to distinguish these pathologies. Fifty-five pwMS (22 relapsing-remitting, 17 primary progressive, and 16 secondary progressive) and 13 healthy subjects underwent DBSI analyses of NAWM of the CC, the main WM tract connecting the cerebral hemispheres. Tract-based spatial statistics were used to minimize misalignment. Results were correlated with scores from a battery of clinical tests focused on deficits typical of MS.
Results:
Normal-appearing CC in pwMS showed reduced fiber fraction and increased nonrestricted isotropic fraction, with the most extensive abnormalities in secondary progressive MS (SPMS). Reduced DBSI-derived fiber fraction and increased DBSI-derived nonrestricted isotropic fraction of the CC correlated with worse cognitive scores in pwMS. Increased nonrestricted isotropic fraction in the body of the CC correlated with impaired hand function in the SPMS cohort.
Conclusions:
DBSI fiber fraction and nonrestricted isotropic fraction were the most useful markers of injury in the NAWM CC. These 2 DBSI measures reflect axon loss in animal models. Because of its ability to reveal axonal loss, as well as demyelination, DBSI may be a useful outcome measure for trials of CNS reparative treatments.
Insights
Diffusion Basis Spectrum Imaging (DBSI) reveals white matter damage in the corpus callosum of people with MS (pwMS), correlating with cognitive and motor impairments. DBSI offers potential for tracking treatment efficacy in CNS repair trials.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) pathology, including axonal injury, demyelination, and inflammation, is difficult to differentiate using standard MRI.
- Diffusion Basis Spectrum Imaging (DBSI) shows promise in distinguishing these pathologies in preclinical and tissue studies.
- The corpus callosum (CC) is a critical white matter tract affected in MS, impacting interhemispheric communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate how damage in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) of the corpus callosum (CC) in people with MS (pwMS) relates to neurological deficits.
- To investigate the utility of DBSI in characterizing NAWM abnormalities in the CC of pwMS.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-five pwMS and 13 healthy controls underwent DBSI scans of the CC.
- Tract-based spatial statistics were employed for accurate data analysis.
- DBSI results were correlated with clinical assessments of cognitive and motor function.
Main Results:
- PwMS exhibited reduced DBSI fiber fraction and increased nonrestricted isotropic fraction in the NAWM CC, with greater changes in secondary progressive MS (SPMS).
- These DBSI metrics correlated with poorer cognitive performance in pwMS.
- Increased nonrestricted isotropic fraction in the CC was linked to impaired hand function in the SPMS cohort.
Conclusions:
- DBSI fiber fraction and nonrestricted isotropic fraction are sensitive markers of NAWM injury in the CC.
- These DBSI measures are indicative of axonal loss, a key pathological feature in MS.
- DBSI holds potential as an outcome measure for clinical trials investigating CNS repair therapies in MS.
