Eric Y. Zhao1,
Irene Vavasour2, Marjan Zakeri3, Michael Borich3,
Cornelia Laule4, Anthony L. Traboulsee5, David K.B. Li2,
Lara Boyd3, Alex L. Mackay, 26
1Department
of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, The University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, BC, Canada; 2Department of Radiology, The University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 3Brain Behavior Lab,
Department of Physical Therapy, The University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, BC, Canada; 4Department of Pathology & Laboratory
Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 5Division
of Neurology, Department of Medicine, The University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, BC, Canada; 6Department of Physics & Astronomy, The
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Myelin water fraction (MWF) measured via the signal fraction of the short T2 relaxation time can be used to monitor demyelination in MS over time. Transcallosal inhibition (TCI), measured via transcranial magnetic stimulation, is also indicative of neuronal health. This study aims to uncover correlations between callosal MWF and TCI parameters to better characterize MWF as a predictor of neurophysiologic function. We found that decreased MWF in the callosal region shown to carry motor information is correlated with delayed onset as well as decreased duration and magnitude of TCI. We attribute this to loss of spatiotemporal tion due to demyelination.
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