Helmholtz Gemeinschaft

Search
Browse
Statistics
Feeds

The presence of a paramagnetic phase rim is linked to lesion age in multiple sclerosis

[thumbnail of Preprint]
Preview
PDF (Preprint) - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
614kB
[thumbnail of Supplementary Material] MS Word (Supplementary Material)
626kB
Item Type:Preprint
Title:The presence of a paramagnetic phase rim is linked to lesion age in multiple sclerosis
Creators Name:Klistorner, S., Usnich, T., Clarke, M.A., Pareto, D., Rovira, A., Paul, F., Barnett, M. and Klistorner, A.
Abstract:Background and Objectives: In relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), smouldering inflammation at the rims of chronic active lesions has emerged as a crucial contributor to disease progression. Paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), has been proposed as the most pathologically validated marker for chronic active lesions. However, the strength of the association between PRLs and clinical or radiological measures of disease progression remains unclear, and the relationship between PRL presence and lesion-specific characteristics, such as lesion size and age, is not well understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of PRL presence on clinical and radiological markers of disease progression, and its association with lesion characteristics such as size and age. Methods. 60 RRMS patients, each with at least five years of previous structural MRI data were investigated using SWAN protocols. Lesions exceeding a volume of 100 mm3 were included in analysis. Results. PRLs were present in 48% of patients, comprising 13% (80 out of 607) of the total lesion count. Patients with PRLs were significantly younger than those without (p<0.001). Furthermore, PRLs were significantly larger (p<0.0001) and exhibited more severe structural damage compared to non-PRLs (p<0.0001). These characteristics were consistent both within and between patients. PRL count and volume were significantly correlated with radiological measures of disease progression, including central and total brain atrophy (p<0.001 and <0.05 for PRL count and volume, respectively). Crucially, our results showed that all 32 lesions appearing within five years preceding SWAN imaging displayed a paramagnetic rim. This finding was validated in two independent international cohorts, reinforcing the link between PRLs and lesion age. Moreover, the proportion of rim-positive lesions decreased as lesion age increased. In a sub-set of patients with longitudinal susceptibility data the paramagnetic rim tended to diminish or disappear over time. Conclusion. Our findings indicate that the presence of a paramagnetic rim in MS lesions is a characteristic feature of all newly formed lesions that exceed a specific size threshold, and that this rim gradually diminishes as lesions age. As such, this study enhances the understanding of lesion formation and may also have significant implications for using PRLs as a biomarker of lesion activity.
Keywords:Chronic Active Lesions, MRI Biomarkers, Lesion Evolution, Iron Deposition, Susceptibility-Weighted Images, Rim Lesions
Source:medRxiv
Publisher:Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Article Number:2025.01.12.25320426
Date:13 January 2025
Official Publication:https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.12.25320426

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Open Access
MDC Library