Myelin water is abundant in white matter but myelin signal is often ignored in diffusion models due to its short T2. There is however substantial water exchange between myelin and non-myelin water within typical diffusion times. Using Monte Carlo simulation and in-vivo measurement, we demonstrate that this water exchange might result in an echo-time (TE) dependence of DTI-derived parameters. As myelin water exchange increases with the thickness of myelin sheath, the TE dependence can be used to assess the degree of myelination.
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