T1 histograms of normal-appearing brain tissue are abnormal in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Objective: To use both whole-brain and normal-appearing brain tissue (NABT) T1 relaxation time histograms to investigate abnormalities in early relapsing-remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis (MS). Background: In patients with established MS, both lesions and NABT exhibit an increase in T1 relaxation time. By using T1 histogram analysis, it is hoped that such changes in early disease can be detected. Method: Twenty-seven patients and 14 age- and sex-matched controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, which included the following sequences: 1) proton density (PD)- and T2-weighted fast spin echo (FSE) to measure T2 lesion load, 2) PD- and T1-weighted gradient echos from which T1 relaxation was calculated, and 3) T1-weighted SE imaging pre- and post-triple dose (0.3 mmol/kg) gadolinium (Gd-DTPA) to measure T1 hypointense and gadolinium-enhancing lesion loads, respectively. All patients had RR MS with disease duration <3 years (median 1.7 years). Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) 99 was used to segment brain from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and lesions were segmented using a local thresholding technique. Results: Both whole-brain and NABT histograms were abnormal for all six T1 histogram parameters that were measured. For NABT, the mean T1 was 1027 (-74) ms in patients and 969 (-41) ms in controls (p=0.003). There was little difference between the global and NABT histograms, which indicates that most of the whole-brain histogram abnormality derives from normal-appearing tissues. There was a correlation between the Nine-Hole Peg Test and NABT T1 measures. Conclusion: There are widespread abnormalities of NABT in early RR MS, which were sensitively detected by T1 relaxation time histogram analysis. As such, T1 histogram analysis appears promising for studying the natural history of early RR MS, and in the monitoring of response to treatment.

[1]  G J Parker,et al.  Accurate multislice gradient echo T1 measurement in the presence of non‐ideal RF pulse shape and RF field nonuniformity , 2001, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[2]  J. Dehmeshki,et al.  Magnetisation transfer ratio histogram analysis of primary progressive and other multiple sclerosis subgroups , 2001, Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

[3]  J K Udupa,et al.  Magnetization transfer ratio histogram analysis of gray matter in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. , 2001, AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology.

[4]  F. Barkhof,et al.  Magnetization transfer histogram parameters reflect all dimensions of MS pathology, including atrophy , 2001, Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

[5]  Peter Kapeller,et al.  Preliminary evidence for neuronal damage in cortical grey matter and normal appearing white matter in short duration relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a quantitative MR spectroscopic imaging study , 2001, Journal of Neurology.

[6]  F. Barkhof,et al.  Concurrent validity of the MS Functional Composite using MRI as a biological disease marker , 2001, Neurology.

[7]  G. Barker,et al.  Variations in T1 and T2 relaxation times of normal appearing white matter and lesions in multiple sclerosis , 2000, Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

[8]  P. Matthews,et al.  Regional axonal loss in the corpus callosum correlates with cerebral white matter lesion volume and distribution in multiple sclerosis. , 2000, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[9]  Karl J. Friston,et al.  Voxel-Based Morphometry—The Methods , 2000, NeuroImage.

[10]  M S Buchsbaum,et al.  Whole-brain diffusion MR histograms differ between MS subtypes , 2000, Neurology.

[11]  G. Comi,et al.  Pathologic damage in MS assessed by diffusion-weighted and magnetization transfer MRI , 2000, Neurology.

[12]  M Filippi,et al.  A magnetization transfer histogram study of normal-appearing brain tissue in MS , 2000, Neurology.

[13]  M Filippi,et al.  Comparison of MS clinical phenotypes using conventional and magnetization transfer MRI , 1999, Neurology.

[14]  M Filippi,et al.  The role of non-conventional magnetic resonance techniques in monitoring evolution of multiple sclerosis. , 1998, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

[15]  F. Barkhof,et al.  Histopathologic correlate of hypointense lesions on T1-weighted spin-echo MRI in multiple sclerosis , 1998, Neurology.

[16]  J A Frank,et al.  Guidelines for using quantitative measures of brain magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in monitoring the treatment of multiple sclerosis , 1998, Annals of neurology.

[17]  J Grimaud,et al.  Effect of training and different measurement strategies on the reproducibility of brain MRI lesion load measurements in multiple sclerosis , 1998, Neurology.

[18]  C. Martyn.  Capture-recapture methods in surveys of diseases of the nervous system , 1998, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

[19]  J. Ashburner,et al.  Multimodal Image Coregistration and Partitioning—A Unified Framework , 1997, NeuroImage.

[20]  Christian Confavreux,et al.  Recommendations from the national multiple sclerosis society clinical outcomes assessment task force , 1997, Annals of neurology.

[21]  J K Udupa,et al.  Global volumetric estimation of disease burden in multiple sclerosis based on magnetization transfer imaging. , 1997, AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology.

[22]  S. Webb,et al.  A reproducible repositioning method for serial magnetic resonance imaging studies of the brain in treatment trials for multiple sclerosis , 1997, Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI.

[23]  F. Barkhof,et al.  Guidelines for the use of magnetic resonance techniques in monitoring the treatment of multiple sclerosis , 1996, Annals of neurology.

[24]  R. Steen,et al.  Precise and accurate measurement of proton T1 in human brain in vivo: Validation and preliminary clinical application , 1994, Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI.

[25]  J. Mazziotta,et al.  Rapid Automated Algorithm for Aligning and Reslicing PET Images , 1992, Journal of computer assisted tomography.

[26]  W. Mcdonald,et al.  The longstanding MS lesion. A quantitative MRI and electron microscopic study. , 1991, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[27]  G Johnson,et al.  Precise relaxation time measurements of normal‐appearing white matter in inflammatory central nervous system disease , 1989, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[28]  V. Haughton,et al.  T1 and T2 measurements on a 1.5-T commercial MR imager. , 1989, Radiology.

[29]  D. N. Landon,et al.  The characterization of experimental gliosis by quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. , 1988, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[30]  B E Kendall,et al.  The role of NMR imaging in the assessment of multiple sclerosis and isolated neurological lesions. A quantitative study. , 1987, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[31]  J. Kurtzke.  Rating neurologic impairment in multiple sclerosis , 1983, Neurology.

[32]  D. Silberberg,et al.  New diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: Guidelines for research protocols , 1983, Annals of neurology.

[33]  I. Allen,et al.  A histological, histochemical and biochemical study of the macroscopically normal white matter in multiple sclerosis , 1979, Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

[34]  B. Brownell,et al.  The distribution of plaques in the cerebrum in multiple sclerosis , 1962, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

[35]  F. Barkhof,et al.  Cortical lesions in multiple sclerosis. , 1999, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[36]  G. Barker,et al.  An interleaved sequence for accurate and reproducible clinical measurement of magnetization transfer ratio. , 1996, Magnetic resonance imaging.

[37]  O Henriksen,et al.  In vivo evaluation of the reproducibility of T1 and T2 measured in the brain of patients with multiple sclerosis. , 1992, Magnetic resonance imaging.