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Abstract #1100

Deep Gray Matter R2* in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Their Healthy Siblings and Unrelated Healthy Controls

Enedino Hernandez-Torres1, Vanessa Wiggermann1, David Li2, Lindsay Machan2, Dessa Sadovnick3, Katherine Knox4, Anthony L. Traboulsee5, Alexander Rauscher1

1Radiology, UBC MRI Research Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 2Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 3MS Clinic, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 4MS Clinic, Saskatoon City Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; 5Neurology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with increased iron content in deep gray matter regions. However, it is not known if this increase is a cause or a consequence of MS. In this study we used R2* as a surrogate marker for iron and investigated a group of people with MS, their siblings, and healthy controls. This preliminary analysis (13 subjects from each cohort) found no significant differences in deep gray matter R2*. A trend to increased R2* in MS compared to the other two groups was found, this was strongest in the globus pallidus (p=0.09). Our findings suggest that there is no increased iron content in deep gray matter in siblings who have an increased risk of developing MS.