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Demyelination reduces brain parenchymal stiffness quantified in vivo by magnetic resonance elastography

The incidence of diseases involving demyelination, such as MS, is increasing. The availability of imaging biomarkers to detect and characterise diffuse white matter damage would provide valuable information for early detection, staging, or therapy follow-up. We used the reversible cuprizone mouse model in order to induce disease specific demyelination and studied the induced changes in biomechanical properties of brain tissue. We demonstrated that alterations in tissue stiffness detected non-invasively are strongly correlated with demyelination and even remyelination, and validated these results using histology. If confirmed in humans, this approach could have significant impact for disease monitoring and drug development.