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Myelin Water Atlas: A Template for Myelin Distribution in the Brain

Liu, Hanwen ; Rubino, Cristina ; Dvorak, Adam V. ; Jarrett, Michael ; Ljungberg, Emil LU orcid ; Vavasour, Irene M. ; Lee, Lisa Eunyoung ; Kolind, Shannon H. ; Macmillan, Erin L. and Traboulsee, Anthony , et al. (2019) In Journal of Neuroimaging 29(6). p.699-706
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Myelin water imaging (MWI) is a magnetic resonance imaging technique that quantifies
myelin in-vivo. Although MWI has been extensively applied to study myelin-related diseases in groups, clinical use in individual patients is challenging mainly due to population heterogeneity. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) create a normative brain myelin water atlas depicting the population mean and regional variability of myelin content; and (2) apply the myelin atlas to assess the degree of demyelination in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).
METHODS
3T MWI was performed on 50 healthy adults (25 M/25 F, mean age 25 years [range 17-42 years]). The myelin water atlas was created by averaging... (More)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Myelin water imaging (MWI) is a magnetic resonance imaging technique that quantifies
myelin in-vivo. Although MWI has been extensively applied to study myelin-related diseases in groups, clinical use in individual patients is challenging mainly due to population heterogeneity. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) create a normative brain myelin water atlas depicting the population mean and regional variability of myelin content; and (2) apply the myelin atlas to assess the degree of demyelination in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).
METHODS
3T MWI was performed on 50 healthy adults (25 M/25 F, mean age 25 years [range 17-42 years]). The myelin water atlas was created by averaging coregistered myelin water fraction (MWF) maps from all healthy individuals. To illustrate the preliminary utility of the atlas, white matter (WM) regional MWF variations were evaluated and voxel-wise z-score maps (z < −1.96) from the MWI of three MS participants were produced to assess individually the degree of demyelination.
RESULTS
The myelin water atlas demonstrated significant MWF variation across control WM. No significant MWF differences were found between male and female healthy participants. MS z-score maps revealed diffuse regions of demyelination in the two participants with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) = 2.0 but not in the participant with EDSS = 0.
CONCLUSIONS
The myelin water atlas can be used as a reference (URL: https://sourceforge.net/projects/myelin-water-atlas/) to demonstrate areas of demyelination in individual MS participants. Future studies will expand the atlas age range, account for education, and other variables that may affect myelination.
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Neuroimaging
volume
29
issue
6
pages
699 - 706
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85070296943
ISSN
1051-2284
DOI
10.1111/jon.12657
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
c92ba472-fefd-440c-90a5-a1b2e6d19981
date added to LUP
2023-05-01 09:27:58
date last changed
2023-08-29 11:01:01
@article{c92ba472-fefd-440c-90a5-a1b2e6d19981,
  abstract     = {{BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE<br/>Myelin water imaging (MWI) is a magnetic resonance imaging technique that quantifies <br/>myelin in-vivo. Although MWI has been extensively applied to study myelin-related diseases in groups, clinical use in individual patients is challenging mainly due to population heterogeneity. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) create a normative brain myelin water atlas depicting the population mean and regional variability of myelin content; and (2) apply the myelin atlas to assess the degree of demyelination in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).<br/>METHODS<br/>3T MWI was performed on 50 healthy adults (25 M/25 F, mean age 25 years [range 17-42 years]). The myelin water atlas was created by averaging coregistered myelin water fraction (MWF) maps from all healthy individuals. To illustrate the preliminary utility of the atlas, white matter (WM) regional MWF variations were evaluated and voxel-wise z-score maps (z &lt; −1.96) from the MWI of three MS participants were produced to assess individually the degree of demyelination.<br/>RESULTS<br/>The myelin water atlas demonstrated significant MWF variation across control WM. No significant MWF differences were found between male and female healthy participants. MS z-score maps revealed diffuse regions of demyelination in the two participants with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) = 2.0 but not in the participant with EDSS = 0.<br/>CONCLUSIONS<br/>The myelin water atlas can be used as a reference (URL: https://sourceforge.net/projects/myelin-water-atlas/) to demonstrate areas of demyelination in individual MS participants. Future studies will expand the atlas age range, account for education, and other variables that may affect myelination.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Liu, Hanwen and Rubino, Cristina and Dvorak, Adam V. and Jarrett, Michael and Ljungberg, Emil and Vavasour, Irene M. and Lee, Lisa Eunyoung and Kolind, Shannon H. and Macmillan, Erin L. and Traboulsee, Anthony and Lang, Donna J. and Rauscher, Alexander and Li, David K.b. and Mackay, Alexander L. and Boyd, Lara A. and Kramer, John L.k. and Laule, Cornelia}},
  issn         = {{1051-2284}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{699--706}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Neuroimaging}},
  title        = {{Myelin Water Atlas: A Template for Myelin Distribution in the Brain}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jon.12657}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/jon.12657}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}