MRI

In analyzing brain MRIs on people with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), two markers of ongoing inflammation may help identify those patients at a higher risk of cognitive decline despite having no relapses or new lesions, or signs of tissue damage, a study from Europe suggests. The researchers say…

The most dreaded part of my year has arrived yet again: MRI time. Since I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016, I have undergone at least one MRI every year to monitor my disease and evaluate the efficacy of my disease-modifying therapy. Although I…

Changes in the upper part of the spinal cord may help identify people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who are at higher risk of converting to the secondary progressive form of the disease (SPMS), a study reports. People with RRMS who later developed SPMS tended to have a…

A new partnership aims to advance software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to examine brain MRI scans for signs characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS). Neurophet said it will work with the Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), the research institute of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Spain, to…

By now, I’ve spent at least 70 hours inside an MRI machine. That’s three days of my life spent lying perfectly still while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) searched my brain, spine, and joints for answers related to my multiple sclerosis (MS). At 16, the experience felt terrifying.

In stable relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), higher physical disability scores and brain volume loss on MRI are stronger indicators of cognitive impairment than common blood biomarkers. A new study found that while blood tests often fail to reflect mental decline, MRI scans and standard disability tests can successfully identify…

A new type of MRI scan may be able to distinguish active multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions from chronic lesions — without the need for injected contrast dye — while also offering clues about how lesions may evolve over time, a new study reports. By combining artificial intelligence with…

A specific pattern of damage seen on MRI scans, called a paramagnetic rim lesion, is associated with a higher risk of developing overt multiple sclerosis (MS) in people who have MS-like brain lesions but no symptoms, according to a new study. This condition is known as radiologically isolated syndrome…

Hyperfine’s Swoop system, the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared AI-powered portable MRI system for the brain, showed strong diagnostic agreement with conventional MRI scans and was preferred by patients, according to new study results. Because Swoop can be used in neurology clinics, it may help make…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may follow two distinct biological paths that differ in how early and how quickly nerve damage develops, according to a new study. Using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze brain MRI scans together with a blood test linked to nerve damage, researchers identified one MS pattern marked…

Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have more paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) — areas of chronic active inflammation seen on MRI scans — tend to lose more brain volume over time, a  new study found. These lesions were common in pediatric MS, a rare form of the disease…

Gadoquatrane, a contrast agent Bayer is developing for MRI scans, showed similar safety and pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles — meaning how a drug moves into, through, and out of the body — in both children and adults. That’s according to data from the Phase 3 QUANTI Pediatric study (NCT05915026),…

More than 3 million doses of Vueway (gadopiclenol), a lower-dose gadolinium contrast MRI agent used to diagnose and monitor conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), have been administered at more than 900 customer sites, maker Bracco Diagnostics said. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in children…

A new technique is letting scientists peer into the brain’s wiring with greater detail by simply using a microscope and an LED light, an accessible and cost-effective method that may be useful for studying brain damage in neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The method, called Computational Scattered…

A new wearable brain-mapping tool could dramatically change how doctors monitor people with multiple sclerosis (MS), making it easier to track disease progression and guide personalized care. Researchers showed the system, OPM-MEG, reliably detects abnormalities in the brain’s electrical activity in MS patients. The portable technology is a major…

Researchers have developed a highly sensitive imaging technique that can detect damage to myelin, the fatty wrapping around nerve fibers that is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), in large areas of the brain, according to a study. The tool may help assess the extent of myelin damage in…

Doctors will be able to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS) faster and with greater accuracy — allowing patients to access treatment and support earlier — following an update to the McDonald criteria, the official guidelines used to diagnose the condition. The revision reflects advances in understanding the biology of…

Paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), which represent areas of damage in the brain and spinal cord with chronic active inflammation, are highly indicative of multiple sclerosis (MS) in people being evaluated for the disease, a new study reports. The findings support using this imaging biomarker as a useful tool for…

The International Progressive MS Alliance has introduced the MS Clinical and Imaging Data Resource, or CIDR, to accelerate the search for effective treatments for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) where options are limited. The resource was built in partnership with McGill University in Canada, as well as…

A new positron emission tomography (PET) tracer may help determine the extent of nerve fiber loss in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, something that can’t be identified with conventional MRI imaging, according to a new study. Researchers think the new imaging tech could help track the efficacy of experimental therapies…

A type of imaging finding called iron rim lesions are associated with more severe disability and a greater extent of brain damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new analysis suggests. This specific imaging finding may help guide discussions about individualized treatments for MS, the study’s researchers said.

A new imaging technology may help detect early signs of brain damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) that aren’t visible on conventional MRI scans, a recent study shows. The technology detects specific metabolic alterations in the brain by tracking certain metabolites and neurotransmitters — molecules that nerve…

The first person with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been successfully imaged in a clinical trial evaluating a new positron emission tomography (PET) tracer designed to detect changes in myelin loss, or demyelination. The Phase 1 study (NCT04699747), a joint effort between Quantum Biopharma and Massachusetts…

In people with benign relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who have minimal disease activity, there is a loss of overall brain tissue but specific parts of the brain may grow to help compensate for the damage, a new study indicates. The study, “AI-driven MRI analysis reveals brain…

A particular finding on an MRI scan, called the central vein sign (CVS), is sufficient to support a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis without the need for an invasive lumbar puncture, a new U.K. study suggests. The presence of six lesions with a CVS, where a vein is found…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who experience progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) tend to have greater damage to major white matter tracts, or bundles of nerve fibers that connect different regions of the brain, a new study reports. The findings offer some insights into the biological processes that…

Certain lesions in the spinal cords of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) show damage to nerve fibers despite having normal myelin, according to a study done on postmortem samples using powerful MRI scans paired with detailed tissue analyses. The identification of these lesions “provides a novel opportunity to detect…

Well, it’s that time of year again, and I’m not referring to allergy season or baseball. It’s time for my MRI to evaluate my multiple sclerosis (MS). For the last three years, I was getting an MRI every 18 months. But at my last visit I saw a…

Before I received my relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 2016, I underwent a standard MRI exam, with and without contrast, that scanned my brain, thorax, and cervical spine. I’d never had an MRI before this one. I was vaguely familiar with what the machine looked like, but it’s…

Sanofi‘s oral BTK inhibitor tolebrutinib significantly delayed the onset of six-month confirmed disability progression compared with a placebo, by 31%, in people with nonrelapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). That’s according to recently published data from the HERCULES Phase 3 trial (NCT04411641), where the experimental therapy…