Imaging the myelin in brain deep gray matters during brain development using sub-voxel QSM

Myelin is a non-neglectable susceptibility source in deep gray matter (DGM) nuclei. Myelination and demyelination processes are essential in DGMs during brain development and aging. However, they have not been investigated by MRI yet. We used a sub-voxel QSM method to independently image and quantify the myelin concentration in brain DGM. We recruited 32 healthy subjects with ages from 4 to 39 years old to describe the DGM myelination and demyelination trajectories. The results suggest that different DGMs display various development trajectories during brain development.