Sensitivity of multi-parametric quantitative magnetic resonance imaging for multiple sclerosis pathology

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Biomarkers
• Quantitative MRI

Background:

• Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) advances enable clinical applications.
• Objective MRI-based characterization of multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology is crucial for assessment.
• The diagnostic significance of quantitative MRI techniques in MS, especially for early disease stages, remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the sensitivity of various quantitative MRI parameters to focal and diffuse MS pathology.
• To assess the utility of these parameters in a clinical feasibility study with a small sample size.
• To compare nine quantitative MR biomarkers for tissue characterization in MS patients.

Main Methods:

• Acquired nine quantitative MR biomarkers (MWF, MTsat, ihMTR, qT1, qT2, qT2*, PD, QSM, T1w/T2w) in 13 MS patients and 14 healthy controls (HC).
• Defined four volumes of interest: grey matter (GM), white matter (WM), lesion, and perilesion (PL).
• Analyzed biomarker values between groups and tissue types.

Main Results:

• All nine biomarkers showed significant differences between lesion, PL, and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) (p < 0.05, FDR corrected).
• Lesion values for qT1, qT2, qT2*, PD, and QSM were inhomogeneous.
• Myelin-sensitive measures (MWF, MTsat, ihMTR) showed the largest differences between NAWM and healthy white matter (HCWM), indicating sensitivity to diffuse WM pathology.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative MRI parameters can characterize MS lesions in individual patients.
• Myelin-sensitive measures (MWF, MTsat, ihMTR) show promise for differentiating NAWM from HCWM.
• This study contributes to understanding the sensitivity of various quantitative MR biomarkers to MS pathology.