High Resolution In-Vivo and Post-Mortem R2* and Phase Images of Multiple Sclerosis Lesions at 7 T

Bing Yao¹, Francesca Bagnato¹, Hellmut Merkle¹, Peter van Gelderen¹, Fredric K. Cantor¹, Joan Ohayon¹, Henry McFarland¹, Jeff H. Duyn¹

R2* and phase images have been exploited to investigate brain tissue microstructure. In this study, MS patients and brain specimens of an MS deceased patient were imaged using a 7 T MR scanner and the R2* and phase images were investigated. Heterogeneity appearances of the MS lesions are found in the high resolution R2* and phase images, for both in-vivo and extra-vivo tissues. We here aim at providing new insights on the major sources that contribute to the MRI contrast in MS lesions.