Abstract #2104

Is Myelin Water Fraction a Clinically Viable Biomarker of Disease in Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis?

Shannon Kolind^1,2, Lucy Matthews^1,3, Heidi Johansen-Berg¹, Rose Gelineau-Kattner^1,4, M Isabel Leite³, Jacqueline Palace³, Sean Deoni²

¹FMRIB Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; ²Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; ³Clinical Neurology, Oxford University and Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom; ⁴Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States

Critical need exists for a sensitive and specific biomarker in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), which features diffuse neuronal and myelin damage. This study explored estimates of myelin water fraction (MWF) as such a biomarker. Sixteen PPMS patients were imaged using the mcDESPOT multi-component relaxometry technique, and correlations between MWF estimates and clinical disability scores were investigated. We found significant negative correlation between MWF and EDSS scores across diffuse brain regions. Correlations between MWF and specific scores of bladder/bowel, mental and sensory functions were found in appropriate brain regions. Findings support the emerging relevance of MWF changes to clinical manifestations.