The Application of Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging on the Heterogeneous White Matter in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Qiyuan Zhu; Qiao Zheng; Dan Luo; Yuling Peng; Zichun Yan; Xiaohua Wang; Xiaoya Chen; Yongmei Li

doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.849425

The Application of Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging on the Heterogeneous White Matter in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Front Neurosci. 2022 Mar 10:16:849425. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.849425. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Qiyuan Zhu¹, Qiao Zheng¹, Dan Luo¹, Yuling Peng¹, Zichun Yan¹, Xiaohua Wang¹, Xiaoya Chen¹, Yongmei Li¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the microstructural damage in the heterogeneity of different white matter areas in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients by using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and its correlation with clinical and cognitive status.

Materials and methods: Kurtosis fractional anisotropy (KFA), fractional anisotropy (FA), mean kurtosis (MK), and mean diffusivity (MD) in T1-hypointense lesions (T1Ls), pure T2-hyperintense lesions (pure-T2Ls), normal-appearing white matter (NAWM), and white matter in healthy controls (WM in HCs) were measured in 48 RRMS patients and 26 sex- and age-matched HCs. All the participants were assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) scores as the cognitive status. The Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores were used to evaluate the clinical status in RRMS patients.

Results: The lowest KFA, FA, and MK values and the highest MD values were found in T1Ls, followed by pure-T2Ls, NAWM, and WM in HCs. The T1Ls and pure-T2Ls were significantly different in FA (p = 0.002) and MK (p = 0.013), while the NAWM and WM in HCs were significantly different in KFA, FA, and MK (p < 0.001; p < 0.001; p = 0.001). The KFA, FA, MK, and MD values in NAWM (r = 0.360, p = 0.014; r = 0.415, p = 0.004; r = 0.369, p = 0.012; r = -0.531, p < 0.001) were correlated with the MMSE scores and the FA, MK, and MD values in NAWM (r = 0.423, p = 0.003; r = 0.427, p = 0.003; r = -0.359, p = 0.014) were correlated with the SDMT scores.

Conclusion: Applying DKI to the imaging-based white matter classification has the potential to reflect the white matter damage and is correlated with cognitive impairment.

Keywords: cognitive impairment; diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI); disease severity; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); multiple scleorsis (MS); normal-appearing white matter (NAWM); white matter lesions (WMLs).