“A new imaging modality to non-invasively assess multiple sclerosis pathology”

We describe a novel imaging method to assess central nervous system pathology called “Diffusion Basis Spectrum Imaging” (DBSI). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been widely used to estimate axonpathology and demyelination. However, in the settings of acute inflammation and chronic tissue loss asare common in multiple sclerosis, DTI signals can lead to false interpretations. DBSI is a computationallynovel method that separates isotropic from anisotropic components in imaging voxels. Isotropicdiffusion is believed to reflect inflammatory components (cells, edema), as well as intrinsic cells andextracellular space. DBSI enables the measurement of axial and radial diffusivities within the anisotropiccomponents of imaging voxels, which reflect the integrity of axon fibers and myelin, respectively.