Abstract #1306

Multi-Exponential Analysis of T2 Relaxation in the Human Spinal Cord: Differences Between Grey and White Matter

Nicole Fichtner¹, Erin L. MacMillan², B Mdler³, A Curt^4,5, D K. Li⁶, M F. Dvorak^5,7, Alex L. MacKay^1,6

¹Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; ²Dept. of Clinical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; ³Philips Healthcare, Vancouver, BC, Canada; ⁴Dept. of Neurology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; ⁵International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, BC, Canada; ⁶Dept. of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; ⁷Dept. of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

In order to determine optimum parameters for contrast differentiation, it is necessary to know the T₂ relaxation characteristics of each tissue, which may have multiple values. Multi-echo T₂ relaxation is sensitive to the different pools of water in central nervous system tissue. We examined the cervical cord region of 12 healthy controls using a 3D multi-echo T₂ measurement. This study showed for the first time that the average T₂ was significantly different between grey and white matter in healthy human spinal cord in vivo.