Abstract #1016

qMT Imaging to Assess Brain Tissue Modifications in Patients with Miotonic Dystrophy Type-1.

Giovanni Giulietti¹, Barbara Spano'¹, Valentina Battistoni¹, Laura Serra¹, Carlo Caltagirone²,³, Marco Bozzali¹, Mara Cercignani⁴

¹Neuroimaging Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy; ²Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy; ³Departement of Neuroscience, "Tor Vergata" University, Rome, Italy; ⁴Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom

Magnetization-transfer imaging (MTI) has previously shown, in patients with Miotonic Dystrophy type-1 (MD1) and no (or minimal) white matter (WM) lesions, lower cortical MT-ratios (MTRs) and cortical atrophy. No significant MTR changes were observed in patients normal-appearing WM. Using Quantitative-MTI(qMTI), a technique providing a more complete characterization of the MT phenomenon, we investigated here a similar group of MD1 patients. Our findings confirm previous MTI results and produce, by additional qMT parameters, a better characterization of the brain damage. Overall, we suggest that neocortical pathology, unrelated to WM lesion formation, occurs in MD1 patients brain tissue and is clinically relevant.