Abstract #2170

Effect of Multiple Sclerosis Lesions on the MTR of Grey & White Matter in the Cervical Spinal Cord

Hugh Kearney¹, Marios C. Yiannakas¹, Rebecca Samson¹, Claudia A. M. Wheeler-Kingshott¹, Olga Ciccarelli^1,2, David H. Miller¹

¹Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom; ²Department of Brain Repair & Rehabilitation, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom

This study represents the first attempt to characterise magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) changes in lesional and normal appearing grey and white matter in the cervical cord in MS patients. MTR is of significance in multiple sclerosis (MS). We have developed a method for imaging GM and WM in vivo in the cervical cord of patients with MS. The MTR of both GM and WM affected by lesions was reduced compared controls. These findings suggest that spinal cord tissue in MS is affected by demyelination and axonal loss.