T2 Distribution Reflects Multiple Sclerosis Pathologies: Histology Driven Regions of Interest

Thorarin A. Bjarnason¹, Cornelia Laule², Esther Leung², J Ross Mitchell¹, Piotr Kozlowski², Alex L. MacKay², G. R. Wayne Moore²

T₂ distributions created from multi-echo T₂ acquisitions are sensitive to changes in various water environments. Understanding how the T₂ distribution changes in the presence of specific MS pathologies may help identify those pathologies in-vivo. We used histological stains for myelin and axons to drive region of interest placement on fixed brain multi-echo T₂ MR images. In addition to changes in the myelin water fraction, we observed a lengthening of the intra/extracellular water geometric mean T₂ times from regions found in the histology stains having normal appearing white matter, reduced Luxol Fast Blue and reduced Bielschowsky stain intensities, to lesions.