Open AccessMagnetic resonance imaging correlates of neuro‐axonal pathology in the MS spinal cord
Author(s) -
Schmierer Klaus,
Miquel Marc E
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
brain pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.986
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1750-3639
pISSN - 1015-6305
DOI - 10.1111/bpa.12648
Subject(s) - spinal cord , multiple sclerosis , magnetic resonance imaging , central nervous system , medicine , myelin , white matter , diffusion mri , neuroscience , pathology , pathological , psychology , radiology , psychiatry
In people with multiple sclerosis (MS), the spinal cord is the structure most commonly affected by clinically detectable pathology at presentation, and a key part of the central nervous system involved in chronic disease deterioration. Indices, such as the spinal cord cross‐sectional area at the level C 2 have been developed as tools to predict future disability, and—by inference—axonal loss. However, this and other histo‐pathological correlates of spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) changes in MS remain incompletely understood. In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in developing quantitative MRI tools to measure specific tissue features, including axonal density, myelin content, neurite density, and orientation, among others, with an emphasis on the spinal cord. Quantitative MRI techniques including T 1 and T 2 , magnetization transfer and a number of diffusion‐derived indices have all been applied to MS spinal cord. Particularly diffusion‐based MRI techniques combined with microscopic resolution achievable using high magnetic field scanners enable a new level of anatomical detail and quantification of indices that are clinically meaningful.