Mean Apparent Propagator Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of White Matter Microstructural Changes in Neuropsychiatric Lupus

Motivation: Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is challenging to diagnose owing to its diverse clinical manifestations, which overlap with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) complications. Goal(s): We aimed to use mean apparent propagator MRI (MAP-MRI) to investigate white matter microstructural changes in patients with NPSLE to identify biomarkers for diagnosing the disease. Approach: We compared MAP-MRI metrics between patients with NPSLE and SLE. Results: Return-to-origin probability and return-to-axis probability were significantly decreased in multiple brain regions in patients with NPSLE. MAP-MRI showed sensitivity for detecting white matter pathology in NPSLE. Impact: Application of mean apparent propagator MRI for patients with neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus may help identify early biomarkers of the disease, which is crucial for timely intervention and treatment strategies.