Unveiling Paramagnetic and Diamagnetic Susceptibility Mechanisms in Cuprizone-Induced Demyelination

Motivation: DECOMPOSE-QSM enables separate investigation of sub-voxel paramagnetic and diamagnetic components, revealing their roles in corpus callosum demyelination. Goal(s): To investigate the distinct contributions of paramagnetic and diamagnetic components to the demyelination process. Approach: Multi-echo gradient echo images of five B6 control and five Cuprizone-treated mice were acquired at 9.4T. QSM images were calculated for the nonlinear DECOMPOSE-QSM signal model to generate paramagnetic (PCS) and diamagnetic (DCS) maps, followed by statistical analysis. Results: The smaller increase in PCS compared to the decrease in DCS indicates that DCS is the primary contributor to the demyelination process. Impact: Our findings reveal that cuprizone-induced demyelination involves diamagnetic degradation and paramagnetic deposition, underscoring the roles of PCS and DCS in guiding treatment strategies and furthering demyelination research.