AJDRAJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Counsell, S. J.
Right arrow Articles by Rutherford, M. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Counsell, S. J.
Right arrow Articles by Rutherford, M. A.

MR Imaging Assessment of Myelination in the Very Preterm Brain

Serena J. Counsella, Elia F. Maaloufb, Alison M. Fletchera, Philip Dugganb, Malcolm Battinb, Helen J. Lewisa, Amy H. Herlihya, A. David Edwardsa,b, Graeme M. Byddera and Mary A. Rutherforda,b

a Robert Steiner Magnetic Resonance Unit, Imaging Sciences Department, Clinical Sciences Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, England
b Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, England



View larger version (80K):

[in a new window]
  		FIG 1. Percentages of different types of images showing myelination in the gray matter nuclei and white matter tracts identified in this study at <30 weeks gestational age, between 30 and 36 weeks gestational age, and between 37 and 42 weeks gestational age. CN, region of gracile and cuneate nuclei; GCF, gracile and cuneate fasciculi; VN, vestibular nuclei; Vermis, cerebellar vermis; ICP, inferior cerebellar peduncles; SCP, superior cerebellar peduncles; Dentate, dentate nucleus of the cerebellum; MLF, medial longitudinal fasciculus; MGB, medial geniculate bodies; LGB, lateral geniculate bodies; STN, subthalamic nuclei; Olives, inferior olivary nuclei; VLN, ventrolateral nuclei of the thalamus; DSCP, decussation of the superior cerebellar peduncles; ML, medial lemnisci; LL, lateral lemnisci; IC, inferior colliculi; CS, corticospinal tracts of the precentral and postcentral gyri; PLIC, posterior limb of the internal capsule; CR, corona radiata; T1, T1-weighted conventional spin-echo MR images; IR, inversion recovery fast spin-echo MR images; T2, T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR images.

A, Graph illustrates the percentages of T1-weighted conventional spin-echo, inversion recovery fast spin-echo, and T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR images showing myelination at <30 weeks gestational age.

B, Graph illustrates the percentages of T1-weighted conventional spin-echo, inversion recovery fast spin-echo, and T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR images showing myelination between 30 and 36 weeks gestational age.

C, Graph illustrates the percentages of T1-weighted conventional spin-echo, inversion recovery fast spin-echo, and T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR images showing myelination between 37 and 42 weeks gestational age.



View larger version (159K):

[in a new window]
  		FIG 2. Myelin is shown in numerous gray and white matter structures in the preterm brain on T1-weighted conventional spin-echo images.

A, Transverse T1-weighted conventional spin-echo image of an infant at 28 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the gracile and cuneate fasciculi (arrow) as high signal intensity.

B, Transverse T1-weighted conventional spin-echo image of an infant at 28 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the medial longitudinal fasciculus (long arrow) and in the inferior cerebellar peduncles (short arrow) as high signal intensity.

C, Transverse T1-weighted conventional spin-echo image of an infant at 28 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the cerebellar vermis (arrowhead) and in the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum (arrow) as high signal intensity.

D, Transverse T1-weighted conventional spin-echo image of an infant at 30 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the superior cerebellar peduncles (arrow) as high signal intensity.

E, Transverse T1-weighted conventional spin-echo image of an infant at 28 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the medial lemnisci as high signal intensity (arrow).

F, Transverse T1-weighted conventional spin-echo image of an infant at 28 weeks gestational age, obtained at the level of the mesencephalon, shows myelin in the lateral lemnisci (arrow) as high signal intensity.

G, Transverse T1-weighted conventional spin-echo image of an infant at 28 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the decussation of the superior cerebellar peduncles (arrow) as high signal intensity.

H, Transverse T1-weighted conventional spin-echo image of an infant at 28 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the subthalamic nuclei (arrow) as high signal intensity.

I, Transverse T1-weighted conventional spin-echo image of an infant at 28 weeks gestational age, obtained at the level of the basal ganglia, shows myelin in the ventrolateral nuclei of the thalmus (arrow) as high signal intensity.



View larger version (110K):

[in a new window]
  		FIG 3. Myelin is shown in numerous gray and white matter structures in the preterm brain on T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR images.

A, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 25 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the region of the gracile and cuneate nuclei as low signal intensity (arrow).

B, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 28 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the cerebellar vermis (long arrow), dentate nucleus of the cerebellum (curved arrow), vestibular nuclei (white arrowhead), inferior olivary nuclei (black arrowhead), and inferior cerebellar peduncle (short arrow) as low signal intensity.

C, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 29 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the superior cerebellar peduncles (arrow) as low signal intensity.

D, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 30 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the medial lemnisci (arrow) as low signal intensity.

E, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 29 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the lateral lemnisci (arrow) as low signal intensity.

F, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 30 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the decussation of the superior cerebellar peduncles (arrowhead) and inferior colliculi (arrow) as low signal intensity.

G, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 29 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the subthalamic nuclei as low signal intensity (arrow).

H, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 29 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the medial geniculate bodies (arrow) as low signal intensity.

I, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 27 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the ventrolateral nuclei of the thalamus as low signal intensity (arrow).

J, Coronal T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image of an infant at 27 weeks gestational age shows myelin in the inferior colliculi (arrow) as low signal intensity.



View larger version (109K):

[in a new window]
  		FIG 4. Myelination is shown in the sites that myelinate at term-equivalent age.

A, Transverse inversion recovery fast spin-echo image of an infant at 41 weeks gestational age, who was born at 28 weeks gestational age, shows myelin in the corticospinal tracts of the precentral and postcentral gyri as high signal intensity (arrowhead).

B, Transverse inversion recovery fast spin-echo image of an infant at 41 weeks gestational age, who was born at 28 weeks gestational age, shows myelin in the corona radiata as high signal intensity (arrow).

C, Transverse inversion recovery fast spin-echo image at the level of the basal ganglia of an infant at 42 weeks gestational age, who was born at 28 weeks gestational age, shows myelin in the posterior limb of the internal capsule as high signal intensity (arrow).

D, Transverse T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR image at the level of the mesencephalon of an infant at 36 weeks gestational age, who was born at 28 weeks gestational age, shows myelin in the medial geniculate body (long arrow), the lateral geniculate body (arrowhead), and the subthalamic nuceli (short arrow) as low signal intensity.





Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Neuroradiology. Print ISSN: 0195-6108 Online ISSN: 1936-959X