Investigating the relationship between multi-scale perfusion and white matter microstructural integrity in patients with relapsing-remitting MS

Background Multiple sclerosis is characterized by the formation of central nervous system demyelinating lesions with microvasculature inflammation. Objective Evaluate how lesion cerebral perfusion relates to white matter microstructural integrity in patients with RRMS using perfusion MRI and myelin-related T-1-weighted to T-2-weighted (T(1)w/T(2)w) ratios. Methods Forty-eight patients with RRMS were imaged with dynamic susceptibility contrast imaging using SAGE (spin- and gradient-echo) to calculate global and capillary-sized perfusion parameters, including cerebral blood flow (CBF), volume (CBV), and mean transit time (MTT). T(1)w/T(2)w ratios were used to indirectly assess white matter microstructural integrity. Results For global perfusion metrics, CBF was reduced 28.4% in lesion regions of interest (ROIs) compared to normal appearing white matter (NAWM), CBV was reduced 25.9% in lesion ROIs compared to NAWM, and MTT increased 12.9%. For capillary perfusion metrics (via spin-echo (SE)), CBF-SE was reduced 35.7% in lesion ROIs compared to NAWM, CBV-SE was reduced 35.2% in lesion ROIs compared to NAWM, and MTT-SE increased 9.1%. Capillary-level CBF was correlated (rho = 0.34, p = 0.024) with white matter microstructural integrity in lesion ROIs. Conclusion This study demonstrates that lesion perfusion is reduced at both the global and capillary level and capillary-associated hypoperfusion is associated with reduced white matter microstructural integrity in RRMS.

Automated summary

This study found that lesion perfusion is reduced at both the global and capillary level, and capillary-associated hypoperfusion is associated with reduced white matter microstructural integrity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.