Longitudinal Imaging of Spinal Cord Myelin Following C5 Hemisection Lesions with 3D Ultrashort Echo Time (UTE) Magnetization Transfer MR Imaging

Motivation: To characterize the dynamic spinal myelin changes in rats following C5 hemisection lesions, and to monitor the efficacy of stem cells or other remyelination treatmentsGoal(s): To detect myelin degeneration or regeneration in the spinal cord after SCIApproach: The rats were imaged post-injury noninvasively and longitudinally with a UTE-MT sequence for MT ratio (MTR) measurement1. White matter was approximated by thresholding the MTR maps using values from the intact left (contralateral) side of spinal cord. Results: A decrease in the white matter was observed on the right (ipsilateral) side caudal to the lesions, consistent with known myelin changes following spinal cord injuryImpact: Myelin changes in the rat spinal cord following hemisection lesions can be monitored non-invasively and longitudinally with MT ratio measurement. Such techniques can be used to detect myelin degeneration or regeneration in the spinal cord after SCI.