Analysis of the effect of partial volume in the 3T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy results of the hippocampus in patients with Multiple Sclerosis

• Grant number: 10/07633-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2010
• End date: June 30, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Radiology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Concepción García Otaduy
• Grantee: Leandro Bacich Scarabel Soares
• Host Institution: Instituto de Radiologia (INRAD). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 05/56464-9 - Neuroscience Imaging Center at University of São Paulo Medical School, AP.CINAPCE.TEM

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease, which causes inflammatory lesions in the brain and spinal cord. Patients frequently present some kind of cognitive deficit, particularly in the processes involving memory and learning, even in the early stages of disease. This might indicate the presence of disease burden in the hippocampus of these patients. By means of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) it is possible to estimate the concentration of several brain metabolites (NAA, Cr, mI, Co, Glx) and it was shown that some metabolites are altered in the hippocampus of MS patients early in disease. However, in MS patients, hippocampus volume might be also different due to atrophy, and this could influence the 1H-MRS obtained compared to controls. The aim of this study is to perform segmentation of the hippocampus based on volumetric MRI images, in order to correct for the hippocampus volume occupying the voxel size studied by 1H-MRS. By doing so we will be able to account for the effect of partial volume in the 1H-MRS results and to determine whether metabolic alterations in patients persist after this correction.