Inherent and unpredictable bias in multi-component DESPOT myelin water fraction estimation.

ABSTRACT: Multicomponent driven equilibrium steady-state observation of T₁ and T₂ (mcDESPOT) aims to quantify the Myelin Water Fraction (MWF) using a two-pool microstructural model. The MWF has been used to track neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration and has been histologically correlated to myelin content. mcDESPOT has a clinically feasible acquisition time and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) relative to other MWF techniques. However, disagreement exists in the literature between experimental studies that show MWF maps with plausible grey matter-white matter (GM-WM) contrast and theoretical work that questions the accuracy and precision of mcDESPOT. We demonstrate that mcDESPOT parameter estimation is inaccurate and imprecise if intercompartmental exchange is included in the

SUBMITTER: West DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7100802 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature