Yuxiang Zhou1,
2, Lingyun Chen3, Xiaojun Sun1, Sushmita Datta4,
Jerry S. Wolinsky5, Ponnada A. Narayana1
1Department
of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, University of Texas Medical School
at Houston, Houston, TX, United States; 2Department of Diagnostic
Radiology & Molecular Imaging , Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, MI,
United States; 3Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Molecular
Imaging, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, MI, United States; 4Department
of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, Medical School, The University of
Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States; 5Department
of Neurology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX,
United States
MRI based pCASL was used to quantify cerebral blood flow (CBF) for determining the regional CBF deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients relative to controls in multiple brain regions. The results suggested significant regional perfusion reduction in MS patients. The lowest CBF value in WM mainly corresponds to central WM, the area where chronic MS lesions appear with high probability. The persistence of chronic lesions in poorly perfused WM strongly implicates hypoperfusion as an important factor that interferes with lesion repair.