1H-MRS in patients with multiple sclerosis undergoing treatment with interferon beta -1a: results of a preliminary study

Abstract

IFN beta-1a has an impact on metabolite concentrations in multiple sclerosis lesions measured by proton MRS. The increase in Cho, Cho/NAA, and Cho/Cr ratios in multiple sclerosis lesions reinforces the view that they are an index of active or recent demyelination and could support the clinical, neuroradiological and immunological evidence showing an increase in disease activity during the first period of treatment with IFN beta-1a. On the other hand, the increase in the Cho peak could be indicative of a rise in membrane turnover in multiple sclerosis lesions or a remodelling of plaques which is not necessarily due to a de novo immune mediated demyelination.