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Updated: Dec 25, 2025
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
A comparison study of inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) and magnetization transfer (MT) in multiple
Lei Zhang1, Baohong Wen2, Tao Chen1
1Department of Radiology, Baoji Center Hospital, Baoji, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
Introduction:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system disorder that may eventually affect its function. The clinical standard for MS severity is based on a clinical scale, which lacks lesion specific information. Magnetic resonance imaging of MS faces the challenge of myelin specificity, and in this work a new method inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) is investigated as new biomarker of demyelination in MS.
Methods:
Local ethics committee approved this study and written informed consents were obtained. Between Oct 2017 to May 2018, eighteen patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) (6 males, 12 females, mean age 31.2) and sixteen healthy volunteers (6 males, 10 females, mean age 30.4 years) were enrolled in this prospective study. All subjects underwent MRI exams including MT and ihMT imaging as well as the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) assessments. Independent sample t-test were used to compare the difference of ihMT parameters between healthy white matter (HWM) and normal appearing white matter (NAWM) and between HWM and MS lesions, respectively. Spearman correlation were used to analyze the correlation between ihMT parameters of MS lesions and EDSS score.
Results:
The ihMTR and qihMT demonstrate significant differences between WHM and NAWM groups, while no significant differences are observed for MTR and qMT. All parameters show significant differences between HWM and MS groups (p < 0.05). There was moderate negative correlation between MTR, qMT and EDSS score (-0.440 and -0.572), while there was a strong negative correlation between ihMTR and qihMT and EDSS score (-0.704 and -0.739).
Conclusion:
Based on whole brain analysis at 3.0 T, ihMT showed better correlation with EDSS compared to magnetization transfer imaging, and may be a potentially valuable biomarker for demyelination in MS.
Insights
Inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) shows strong correlation with disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. This new biomarker may improve demyelination assessment in MS, outperforming traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Biomarker Discovery
- Central Nervous System Disorders
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system disorder impacting function.
- Current clinical scales for MS severity lack lesion-specific information.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in MS faces challenges with myelin specificity.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) as a novel biomarker for demyelination in MS.
- Evaluate the efficacy of ihMT in assessing MS severity compared to conventional magnetization transfer (MT) imaging.
Main Methods:
- Eighteen relapsing-remitting MS patients and sixteen healthy volunteers underwent MRI including MT and ihMT imaging.
- Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) assessments were performed on all participants.
- Statistical analyses included t-tests for group comparisons and Spearman correlation for biomarker-EDSS relationships.
Main Results:
- ihMT parameters (ihMTR and qihMT) showed significant differences between healthy white matter (HWM) and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM).
- All MT and ihMT parameters demonstrated significant differences between HWM and MS lesions.
- Strong negative correlations were observed between ihMT parameters and EDSS scores (r = -0.704 to -0.739).
Conclusions:
- Inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) imaging exhibits a stronger correlation with the EDSS score than conventional MT imaging in MS.
- ihMT shows potential as a valuable biomarker for assessing demyelination in multiple sclerosis.
- Whole-brain analysis at 3.0T supports ihMT's utility in MS evaluation.
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