Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Harper, James G.
• York, Elizabeth N.
• Meijboom, Rozanna
• Kampaite, Agniete
• Thrippleton, Michael J.
• Kearns, Patrick K. A.
• Valdés Hernández, Maria del C.
• Chandran, Siddharthan
• Waldman, Adam D.

Titel

Quantitative T1 brain mapping in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: longitudinal changes, lesion heterogeneity and disability

Ist Teil von

• European radiology, 2024-06, Vol.34 (6), p.3826-3839

Ort / Verlag

Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Objectives To quantify brain microstructural changes in recently diagnosed relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) using longitudinal T 1 measures, and determine their associations with clinical disability. Methods Seventy-nine people with recently diagnosed (< 6 months) RRMS were recruited from a single-centre cohort sub-study, and underwent baseline and 1-year brain MRI, including variable flip angle T 1 mapping. Median T 1 was measured in white matter lesions (WML), normal-appearing white matter (NAWM), cortical/deep grey matter (GM), thalami, basal ganglia and medial temporal regions. Prolonged T 1 (≥ 2.00 s) and supramedian T 1 (relative to cohort WML values) WML voxel counts were also measured. Longitudinal change was assessed with paired t -tests and compared with Bland-Altman limits of agreement from healthy control test-retest data. Regression analyses determined relationships with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score and dichotomised EDSS outcomes (worsening or stable/improving). Results Sixty-two people with RRMS (mean age 37.2 ± 10.9 [standard deviation], 48 female) and 11 healthy controls (age 44 ± 11, 7 female) contributed data. Prolonged and supramedian T 1 WML components increased longitudinally (176 and 463 voxels, respectively; p  < .001), and were associated with EDSS score at baseline ( p  < .05) and follow-up (supramedian: p  < .01; prolonged: p  < .05). No cohort-wide median T 1 changes were found; however, increasing T 1 in WML, NAWM, cortical/deep GM, basal ganglia and thalami was positively associated with EDSS worsening ( p  < .05). Conclusion T 1 is sensitive to brain microstructure changes in early RRMS. Prolonged WML T 1 components and subtle changes in NAWM and GM structures are associated with disability. Clinical relevance statement MRI T 1 brain mapping quantifies disability-associated white matter lesion heterogeneity and subtle microstructural damage in normal-appearing brain parenchyma in recently diagnosed RRMS, and shows promise for early objective disease characterisation and stratification. Key Points • Quantitative T 1 mapping detects brain microstructural damage and lesion heterogeneity in recently diagnosed relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. • T 1 increases in lesions and normal-appearing parenchyma, indicating microstructural damage, are associated with worsening disability. • Brain T 1 measures are objective markers of disability-relevant pathology in early multiple sclerosis. Graphical abstract