Abstract #1401

A pilot in vivo investigation of peripheral nerve damage in multiple sclerosis using magnetisation transfer ratio

Marios C. Yiannakas¹, Marco Battiston¹, Francesco Grussu^1,2, Ratthaporn Boonsuth¹, Rebecca S. Samson¹, Torben Schneider³, Masami Yoneyama⁴, Ferran Prados^1,5,6, Carmen Tur¹, Sara Collorone¹, Rosanna Cortese¹, Olga Ciccarelli¹, and Claudia A.M. Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott^1,7,8

¹Queen Square MS Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom, ²Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom, ³Philips Healthcare, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom, ⁴Philips Japan, Minatoku, Tokyo, Japan, ⁵Centre for Medical Image Computing, Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom, ⁶Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, ⁷Brain MRI 3T Research Centre, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy, ⁸Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

Evidence from histopathological studies has demonstrated the involvement of the peripheral nervous system in multiple sclerosis (MS), specifically alteration in myelin content and, to a lesser extent, axonal degeneration. However, evidence from objective investigations in vivo is lacking. In this pilot study, the lumbar plexus and the sciatic nerve are investigated in people with MS using a previously optimised magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) protocol developed in healthy controls. Results demonstrate reduced MTR values in both anatomical regions studied, consistent with histopathological data, and as such highlighting a need for further investigations in a larger sample population.

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