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Abstract #3246

Increased Myelin Content Correlates with the Longer T2 Times of the Intra-/Extra-Cellular Water in White Matter Structures

Bretta Russell-Schulz1, Cornelia Laule2, 3, David Li3, Alex MacKay1

1Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 2Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 3Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada


The relationship between myelin water fraction (MWF) and intra-/extra-cellular water geometric mean T2 (IEgmT2) was examined in healthy white matter using quantitative T2. A moderately strong relationship was found across all structures and a strong correlation was found between average MWF and average IEgmT2 for each structure. Based on our experimental results and simulations, the relationship between IEgmT2 and MWF does not arise from the fitting algorithm, however, either varying amounts of extracellular water or exchange between MW and IE could explain this relationship.