Objective: The aim of this study was to assess quantitatively structural changes in myelin content occurring during demyelination and remyelination by magnetization transfer imaging (MTI).
Materials and methods: In a reversible model of demyelination with no axonal loss, mice intoxicated by cuprizone were studied by MTI in vivo at 9.4 T. MRI data were compared to histopathological examinations.
Results: Data revealed that the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) decreased significantly during demyelination and increased during remyelination with strong correlation to the myelin content (r=0.79, P=0.01).
Conclusions: This study demonstrated that MTR is a sensitive and reproducible quantitative marker to assess myelin loss and repair. This may lead to in vivo monitoring of therapeutic strategies promoting remyelination.