relation: http://eprints.imtlucca.it/2423/
title: Advanced MRI unravels the nature of tissue alterations in early multiple sclerosis
creator: Bonnier, Guillaume
creator: Roche, Alexis
creator: Romascano, David
creator: Simioni, Samanta
creator: Meskaldji, Djalel-Eddine
creator: Rotzinger, David
creator: Lin, Ying-Chia
creator: Menegaz, Gloria
creator: Schluep, Myriam
creator: Du Pasquier, Renaud
creator: Sumpf, Tilman Johannes
creator: Frahm, Jens
creator: Thiran, Jean-Philippe
creator: Krueger, Gunnar
creator: Granziera, Cristina
subject: QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
subject: RC Internal medicine
description:  Introduction In patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides only limited insights into the nature of brain damage with modest clinic-radiological correlation. In this study, we applied recent advances in MRI techniques to study brain microstructural alterations in early relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients with minor deficits. Further, we investigated the potential use of advanced MRI to predict functional performances in these patients. Methods Brain relaxometry (T1, T2, T2*) and magnetization transfer MRI were performed at 3T in 36 RRMS patients and 18 healthy controls (HC). Multicontrast analysis was used to assess for microstructural alterations in normal-appearing (NA) tissue and lesions. A generalized linear model was computed to predict clinical performance in patients using multicontrast MRI data, conventional MRI measures as well as demographic and behavioral data as covariates. Results Quantitative T2 and T2* relaxometry were significantly increased in temporal normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) of patients compared to HC, indicating subtle microedema (P = 0.03 and 0.004). Furthermore, significant T1 and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) variations in lesions (mean T1 z-score: 4.42 and mean MTR z-score: −4.09) suggested substantial tissue loss. Combinations of multicontrast and conventional MRI data significantly predicted cognitive fatigue (P = 0.01, Adj-R2 = 0.4), attention (P = 0.0005, Adj-R2 = 0.6), and disability (P = 0.03, Adj-R2 = 0.4). Conclusion Advanced MRI techniques at 3T, unraveled the nature of brain tissue damage in early MS and substantially improved clinical–radiological correlations in patients with minor deficits, as compared to conventional measures of disease. 
publisher: Wiley
date: 2014-06
type: Article
type: PeerReviewed
format: application/pdf
language: en
rights: cc_by_nd
identifier: http://eprints.imtlucca.it/2423/1/Annals_Clin_Transl_Neur_Lin_2014.pdf
identifier:   Bonnier, Guillaume and Roche, Alexis and Romascano, David and Simioni, Samanta and Meskaldji, Djalel-Eddine and Rotzinger, David and Lin, Ying-Chia and Menegaz, Gloria and Schluep, Myriam and Du Pasquier, Renaud and Sumpf, Tilman Johannes and Frahm, Jens and Thiran, Jean-Philippe and Krueger, Gunnar and Granziera, Cristina  Advanced MRI unravels the nature of tissue alterations in early multiple sclerosis.  Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, 1 (6).  pp. 423-432.  ISSN 2328-9503      (2014)  
relation: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acn3.68
relation: 10.1002/acn3.68