Myelin damage in radiologically isolated syndrome is associated with decreased processing speed

Cognitive impairment (CI) is a common feature of multiple sclerosis (MS). Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) can demonstrate CI patterns similar to MS, providing an opportunity to explore the associations between CI and early stage disease pathology.

To investigate myelin damage in RIS normal appearing white matter (NAWM) using the myelin heterogeneity index (MHI) and to determine the relationship between MHI and processing speed.

A total of 28 people with RIS and 22 controls completed an MRI, including multi-component T₂ mapping to calculate MHI for whole brain (WB), corpus callosum (CC), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and cingulum (CING) NAWM. The RIS cohort additionally completed the Processing Speed Test (PST), a measure of processing speed.

CC NAWM MHI was higher in RIS versus controls (indicative of myelin damage, p = 0.0140), with similar trends seen in WB, SLF, and CING (p > 0.05). A moderate correlation was found between CING NAWM MHI and PST scores (ρ = -0.39, p = 0.040), with similar trends seen in WB, CC, and SLF (p > 0.05).

Diffuse myelin damage was detected in RIS NAWM, along with associations between increased damage and slower processing speed, suggesting a potential pathological mechanism for RIS-related CI.