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Magnetization Transfer Ratio in the Typically Developing Pediatric Spinal Cord: Normative Data and Age Correlation
Sara Naghizadeh Kashani1, Iswarya Vel1, Zahra Sadeghi Adl1
1Department of Radiology, Jefferson Integrated Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Insights
This study establishes normative magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) values for the pediatric cervical spinal cord (SC) white matter (WM). Findings reveal variations by sex and age, crucial for understanding pediatric SC diseases.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Pediatric Neurology
- Quantitative MRI
Background:
- Magnetization transfer (MT) imaging provides insights into white matter (WM) microstructure.
- Establishing normative data for the pediatric cervical spinal cord (SC) is essential for diagnosing and monitoring diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present automated atlas-based MT ratio (MTR) measurements in typically developing pediatric cervical SC.
- To report normative MTR values for the whole cervical cord WM and specific WM tracts.
- To examine MTR variations with age, sex, height, and weight.
Main Methods:
- 3.0 T MRI scans of 55 healthy pediatric participants (33 female, 22 male) were acquired.
- Data were processed using SC Toolbox, segmented, and registered to the PAM50 template.
- MTRs were measured in whole WM and specific tracts (dorsal fasciculus gracilis, dorsal fasciculus cuneatus, LCST), with statistical analysis for age, sex, height, and weight correlations.
Main Results:
- Normative MTR values were obtained across cervical levels with low to moderate coefficients of variation.
- Significant sex differences were observed in whole WM and lateral corticospinal tracts (LCST).
- MTR values positively correlated with age and showed a decreasing trend across cervical levels in whole WM.
Conclusions:
- This study provides normative MTR values for the pediatric cervical SC.
- Understanding MTR variations by sex and age is critical for pediatric neurological assessments.
- These findings establish a baseline for comparing MTR in pediatric SC diseases.
Background And Purpose:
This study presents automated atlas-based magnetization transfer (MT) measurements of the typically developing pediatric cervical spinal cord (SC). We report normative MT ratio (MTR) values from the whole cervical cord white matter (WM) and WM tracts, examining variations with age, sex, height, and weight.
Methods:
MT scans of 33 healthy females (mean age = 12.8) and 22 males (mean age = 13.09) were acquired from the cervical SC (C2-C7) using a 3.0 T MRI. Data were processed using the SC Toolbox, segmented, and registered to the PAM50 template. Affine and non-rigid transformations co-registered the PAM50 WM atlas to subject-specific space. MTRs were measured for the specific WM tracts (left and right dorsal fasciculus gracilis, dorsal fasciculus cuneatus, and lateral corticospinal tracts [LCST]) and the whole WM. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and unpaired t-tests (p < 0.05) assessed relationships with age, height, weight, and sex.
Results:
Normative MTR measurements were obtained from all regions. The coefficients of variation were low to moderate. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found across all the cervical levels. However, significant sex differences were observed in whole WM (p = 0.04) and LCST (p = 0.03). MTR values correlated positively with age, with significant correlations at C5 (r = 0.3, p false discovery rate = 0.04). A decreasing trend in MTR values across levels was found for whole WM (r = -0.2, p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
This study provides an understanding of MTR values in pediatric cervical SC and their variations by sex, age, height, and weight, providing a baseline for comparisons in pediatric SC diseases.
