Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Monitoring Disease Progression and Response to Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis

Sanjeev Chawla¹, Sumei Wang¹, Ragini Verma¹, Elias R. Melhem¹, Clyde Markowitz², Harish Poptani¹

Multivoxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging was performed on ten patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and ten controls in a longitudinal study. Normal appearing white matter (NAWM) from controls and thirty-four MS plaques along with one-voxel thick NAWM regions surrounding plaques at each time point were analyzed. Significant reduction in NAA along with elevations in Cho and mI were observed in patients (at baseline) compared to controls. Within MS patients, NAA reduced initially followed by a slow recovery both within plaques and in NAWM. Significant elevation in Cr and mI were observed in subsequent months both within plaques and NAWM.