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Updated: Jun 27, 2025
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
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Low-frequency MR elastography reveals altered deep gray matter viscoelasticity in multiple sclerosis
Christian Kiss1, Sebastian Wurth1, Bettina Heschl1
1Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
Neuroimage. Clinical
|April 26, 2024
Summary
Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) reveals altered brain viscoelasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, particularly in deep gray matter. These changes are age-independent and may indicate early disease-related microstructural alterations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Biophysics
- Neurology
Background:
- Brain viscoelasticity measured by MRE is a potential biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases like MS.
- Previous studies suggest MS globally reduces brain stiffness, but detailed regional analysis is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate brain viscoelasticity in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM), deep gray matter (DGM), and white matter (WM) lesions in MS patients.
- To correlate viscoelasticity changes with clinical and structural parameters in MS.
Main Methods:
- Whole-brain MRE was performed on 70 MS patients and 42 controls using a DENSE sequence with 20 Hz mechanical excitation.
- The complex shear modulus magnitude (|G*|) and phase angle (φ) were reconstructed using multifrequency dual elasto-visco (MDEV) inversion.
Main Results:
- MS patients showed higher thalamic phase angle (φ) compared to controls (p < 0.0001).
- Lower φ was observed in MS lesions versus NAWM, most pronounced in temporal lobe lesions (p = 0.003).
- Higher EDSS scores correlated with lower basal ganglia φ (p = 0.01), and age with lower thalamic |G*| and φ in patients.
Conclusions:
- Low-frequency MRE detects age-independent alterations in DGM viscoelasticity in early-stage MS.
- These findings highlight MRE's potential for characterizing MS-related microstructural changes.
