Patent ID: 7672708

Claim:
A method for the analysis of a nerve trunk or tract suspected of demyelination comprising: generating an image from magnetic resonance or magnetic transfer imaging data of a nerve trunk or tract suspected of demyelination and the surrounding tissues characterized in that said imaging data comprises imaging data for myelin-bound water; segmenting said image to separate the image of said nerve trunk or tract from said image for said surrounding tissues; separating said imaging data for said segmented image of said nerve trunk or tract into data populations corresponding to the fasciculi and other microstructures of said nerve trunk or tract; generating a three-dimensional image of said fasciculi from said corresponding data population and displaying said image in a static format or rotated about the long axis of said nerve trunk; calculating from said three-dimensional fasciculi imaging data the presence or loss of myelin in said nerve trunk or tract; and storing or displaying said myelin calculation.