Cape Town - 2026 ISMRM-ISMRT Annual Meeting and Exhibition

Multiscale MRI in Neuroinflammation

Oral

Neuro A

Tuesday, 12 May 2026

Ballroom East

13:40 - 15:30

Moderators: Shannon Kolind & Cornelia Laule

Session Number: 404-03

No CME/CE Credit

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This session highlights advanced MRI methods for the characterization and differentiation of neuroinflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis, MOG antibody–associated disease, and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. Presentations will span human studies, small animal models, and post-mortem investigations, emphasizing multiscale and translational approaches that link imaging biomarkers to underlying pathology and disease mechanisms.

13:40		404-03-001. Tract-based χ-separation imaging differentiates multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica via iron and myelin mapping Shaolong Wu, xiaoxiao zhang, Wenzhen Zhu Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Avenue #1095, Wuhan, China Impact: Tract-based χ-separation enables quantitative mapping of iron and myelin alterations, offering improved differentiation between RRMS and NMOSD. This method enhances diagnostic precision, deepens understanding of disease mechanisms, and provides a new imaging marker for demyelinating disorders.
13:51		404-03-002. Increased Blood-Brain Barrier Water Permeability in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder during Remission Period Shuwan Yu, Yehe Wang, Ning Xu, Zixuan Lin, Xihai Zhao, Mangsuo Zhao Tsinghua University, Beijing, China Impact: PS values derived from WEPCAST MRI are increased in NMOSD patients during clinical remission, indicating persistent BBB vulnerability related to astrocytic injury. BBB water permeability may help distinguish NMOSD from RRMS during remission and enable longitudinal monitoring of disease activity.
14:02		404-03-003. Early Diffusion Tensor Abnormalities and Myelin Water Imaging in Radiologically Isolated Syndrome Elena Kovacevic, Olivia Kalau, Poljanka Johnson, Annette Lam, Erin Gallinger, Bretta Russell-Schulz, Roger Tam, Irene Vavasour, Alexandre Prat, Jiwon Oh, Anthony Traboulsee, Shannon Kolind University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Impact: Diffusion tensor imaging detected microstructural differences in normal-appearing white matter of 27 people with radiologically isolated syndrome, before measurable changes in myelin water fraction could be detected. Findings could improve knowledge of the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis.
14:13		404-03-004. High-Resolution QSM for Choroid Plexus Calcification: A Biomarker for Chronic Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis Sarah Wright, Marilyn Li, Basil Memon, Vivian Truong, Fen Bao, Anas Nourelden, Sara Omar, Anza Memon, Yongsheng Chen Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, United States of America Impact: Ultra-high-resolution QSM enables precise choroid plexus calcification quantification with minimal artifacts. Metrics such as CAF and ICB may help assess excessive calcification, supporting choroid plexus calcification as a potential biomarker for chronic inflammation and neurological disease involvement in multiple sclerosis.
14:24		404-03-005. Multiple Inversion Recovery GRE as a novel imaging marker for myelin state and axonal damage in MS lesions Dimitrios Gkotsoulias, Lukas Schönenberger, Jochen Leupold, Ilaria Callegari, Matthias Weigel, Erik Bahn, Christine Stadelmann, Valerij Kiselev, Dominik von Elverfeldt, Ludwig Kappos, Cristina Granziera Translational Imaging in Neurology (ThINk) Basel, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Impact: Multiple inversion recovery-GRE methodology indicated excellent potential for depicting tissue characteristics associated to specific pathological landmarks of MS, including focal myelin changes and axonal damage in post mortem lesion containing brain blocks.
14:35		404-03-006. MRI–Based Prognostic Scoring for GFAP Astrocytopathy: Associations with CSF Antibody Titers and Clinical Outcomes Xueying Zhao, Sicong Wang, Lixia Zhou The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China Impact: A concise quantitative MRI prognostic score for autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy predicts poor functional outcome (mRS>2) at a data-driven cutoff and scales with CSF GFAP-IgG titers, supporting early risk stratification, closer surveillance, and timely immunotherapy escalation from baseline brain/spinal MRI.
14:46		404-03-007. Neuroinflammation Induced Changes in Brain Energy Metabolism in A Mouse Model of Astrogliosis using 2H MR Spectroscopy Narayan Datt Soni, Dipak Roy, Abeer Mathur, Anshuman Swain, Sunil Khokhar, Paul Jacobs, Blake Benyard, Halvor Juul, Dushyant Kumar, RAVI PRAKASH REDDY NANGA, Ravinder Reddy, Mohammad Haris University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States of America Impact: This preliminary study indicates that neuroinflammation is associated with glucose hypometabolism in neurons, which may ultimately contribute to neurodegeneration. Therapies targeting neuroinflammation may improve glucose metabolism, and this approach could be utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of drugs targeting neuroinflammation.
14:57		404-03-008. Choroid Plexus Enlargement is Linked to a Periventricular Gradient of White Matter Injury in RRMS xiaoya chen, Robert Neil, Li yongmei The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China Impact: Choroid plexus enlargement in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is strongly correlated with periventricular white matter injury, and choroid plexus alterations may connect peripheral immune cells to white matter damage, supporting its role as an upstream hub linking immune dysregulation to neuroinflammation.
15:08		404-03-009. Measuring atrophy in people with Multiple Sclerosis from real-world MRI data Christine Farrugia, Agniete Kampaite, Rozanna Meijboom, Elizabeth York, Michael Thrippleton, Dawn Lyle, Judith Watt, Niall J. J. McDougall, Siddharthan Chandran, David P. Hunt, Adam D. Waldman Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Impact: We present a hybrid pipeline that improves the accuracy of brain volume loss measurement from routine-care MRI. The proposed method supports the development of individualized monitoring approaches for people with Multiple Sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases.
15:19		404-03-010. Intracellular sodium estimation in Multiple sclerosis: Associations with Disability and Progression Bhavana Solanky, Michael Brightman, Sara Collorone, Ferran Prados Carrasco, Samuel Rot, Antonio Ricciardi, Ahmed Toosy, Claudia Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott University College London, London, United Kingdom Impact: This study combines sodium-MRI and advanced ¹H diffusion weighted imaging models to estimate intracellular sodium, revealing its progressive accumulation across MS stages and strong regional links to disability. These insights offer promising biomarkers for early diagnosis and targeted intervention.