March 18, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD MSAA, Lumina partner to provide MRIs to MS patients in Ohio Lumina Imaging has partnered with the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) to provide affordable brain and spinal cord MRI scans to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The partnership makes Lumina the preferred provider for the MSAA’s MRI Access Program in northeast Ohio. The program is designed…
February 26, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Dark rim on MS lesions seen with standard MRI may mark activity An imaging feature called the T1-dark rim, which is visible on standard MRI scans of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), could help to identify paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), a study suggests. PRLs are regions of chronic active inflammation that cause ongoing nerve damage. They’re associated with disease activity and…
February 14, 2024 Columns by Mike Parker Why I’m actually looking forward to a date with the MRI scanner As those of us with multiple sclerosis (MS) know, every so often a call comes or a letter arrives telling us we have a date with an extraordinary friend: the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. For me, it seems that time has arrived again. Just a few days…
December 6, 2023 Columns by Mike Parker To obtain an MS diagnosis, I had to overcome my MRI phobia Many years ago, I had an MRI scan on my right knee, and it didnāt go well. In fact, panic set in when I first looked at the scanner, as the tube seemed small. After I lay down and the operator started moving the table, I faced a…
November 29, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD MRI activity, low doses linked to disease recurrence after cladribine About three-quarters of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients given an under-the-skin formulation of cladribine had no disease activity or didn’t receive any additional therapies 4.5 years after starting treatment, a study shows. Cladribine is the active ingredient in the oral therapy MavencladĀ and is typically given in two short treatment…
February 24, 2023 Columns by Ed Tobias Lower-dose gadolinium now being used for MRIs with contrast If you have multiple sclerosis (MS), I’m sure you’ve had several MRIs by now. You’ve probably also had one using a contrast agent. The contrast agent is made from a rare earth element called gadolinium. Mixed with other chemical ions, it highlights lesions or areas…
October 14, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias New Gadolinium-based Contrast Agent Elucirem Will Soon Be Available for MRIs If you have multiple sclerosis (MS), you’ve probably had several MRIs “with” and “without.” The “with” means injecting a contrast agent containing gadolinium into a vein. The agent then travels into the brain, where it “lights up” areas of active inflammation that otherwise would be difficult or impossible…
June 16, 2022 Columns by Stephen De Marzo The Journey Toward My Primary Progressive MS Diagnosis When I turned 50 in 2013, I blew out the candles, and bam! I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I started seeing an endocrinologist and a neurologist, taking daily diabetic medications, and testing my blood sugar every day. At that point, I was not physically disabled in any…
May 12, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Disease Severity, Brain Changes Linked to Cognitive Decline Disease severity, brain volume loss, and brain lesions are able to predict later cognitive declines in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study in China found. The study, āClinical and MRI predictors of cognitive decline in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a 2-year longitudinal study,ā…
May 2, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NICE Briefing Covers Icobrain System for Automated MRI Scans The National Institute for Health and Care Evidence (NICE) in England has issued a briefing on the use ofĀ Icometrix‘s icobrain system to assess disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) based on MRI scans. The NICE statement was in the form of a medtech innovation briefing, or…
April 20, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Gray Matter Loss in Spine Crucial, But Difficult, Marker of MS Disability Loss of gray matter in the spinal cord clearly associates with greater disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but determining the extent of its loss is limited by an inability to accurately measure gray matter in all patients, a small study in Spain reported. The true amount of…
February 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Paramagnetic Rim Lesions ‘Highly Specific’ Markers of MS Paramagnetic rim lesions, a specific form of inflammatory damage to the brain, are rarely found in people with disorders other than multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study in adults with suspected MS. Its findings suggest that looking at PRLs could be useful for diagnosing the disease. Brain Renner,…
February 4, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Researcher Will Use Award to Find Biomarkers of RIS in Children This yearās Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar Award, funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, has gone to a Yale University researcher who is searching for biomarkers of radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) in children. RIS occurs when imaging findings on MRI scans are similar to those seen in people…
January 26, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD After Pregnancy, Women Show More Brain Lesions, Volume Loss Women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have more brain lesions and accelerated brain volume loss (BVL) after pregnancy compared with pre-pregnancy measurements, recent data showed. Brain lesions in the early postpartum period ā the first months following childbirth āĀ were associated with a higher risk of worsened disability and relapse…
January 21, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Real-World Data Shows Tecfidera Comparable to Gilenya at Preventing Relapses Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) appears to have similar benefits to Gilenya (fingolimod) in preventing relapses and the loss of motor function and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study with real-world data found. The two medications also led to similar findings on MRI scans, including in…
January 10, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD FDA Expands MRI Compatibility With Spinal Stimulation for Pain The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Abbottās request to expand the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility with its Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulation system with Octrode leads, which is used to manage chronic pain. The decision lifts previous restrictions for Octrode lead tip location and…
December 3, 2021 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Aubagio Reduces Lesions in Children in Trial, but Relapse Data Troubled Aubagio (teriflunomide) failed to significantly reduce relapses in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), but two years of treatment decreased the number of brain lesions on MRI scans, according to the final results of the Phase 3 TERIKIDS clinical trial. Importantly, the lack of a signficantly lower relapse rate…
December 1, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Deal Brings AI-powered MRI to Care of Patients With Brain Disorders A new collaboration between Arterys and Combinostics seeks to bring comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) imaging solutions to the diagnosis and care of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. Under the partnership, Arterys will include Combinosticsā AI-powered cNeuro on its medical imaging cloud AI platform…
November 16, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cerebellar Lesions in RRMS Linked to Worsening Manual Dexterity The number of lesions affecting the cerebellum ā a brain region responsible for coordinating voluntary movements and motor skills such as balance, coordination, and posture ā predicts manual dexterity getting worse in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a retrospective analysis. The study, āCerebellar pathology and…
November 8, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Younger Age, Certain Lesions Linked to Higher MS Risk for RIS Patients Among people with nervous system damage indicative of multiple sclerosis (MS), but who don’t yet have the disease ā a condition known as radiologically isolated syndrome or RIS ā the risk of progressing to full-fledged MS is higher for those who are younger, have spinal cord lesions, and have…
September 7, 2021 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD Brain Atrophy, Serum NfL Levels May Predict Cognition Early in MS A blood test for serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels, along with radiological findings, can help to detect early cognitive issues in people recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study āCortical Thickness and Serum NfL Explain Cognitive Dysfunction in Newly Diagnosed Patients…
July 27, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gray Matter in Hippocampus Can Help Distinguish Between Two MS Types Subtle changes in structure in the hippocampus ā a region of the brain involved in processing memories ā can differentiate between relapsing-remitting and primary progressive multiple sclerosis, according to a new study. The study, “Unraveling the MRI-Based Microstructural Signatures Behind Primary Progressive and RelapsingāRemitting Multiple Sclerosis Phenotypes,”…
July 20, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Nerve Tissue Scarring May Explain MS Progression Nerve tissue scars associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) show marked differences from those of similar neurodegenerative disorders, according to a recent study. MS-associated inflammation causes brain and spinal cord lesions (nerve tissue scarring) that often are bigger and last longer than those of two other demyelinating diseases: myelin oligodendrocyte…
June 29, 2021 Columns by Jessie Ace When Challenges Arise, Remember Your Resilience A numb, weak leg. Yay. Another thing to add to the list of crappy challenges Iāve had to face this year. If you ask me, itās all been a bit too much, and Iād like to get off this ride and get my money back, please. I recently rang my…
May 6, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD US Patent Issued for Software That Could Make MRI Scans Safer Subtle MedicalĀ announced the granting of a U.S. patent for its radiology software that uses artificial intelligence to improve the quality of medical imaging, with the potential to reduce the amount of gadolinium, a contrast agent, needed to one-tenth of its usual dose. Gadolinium, a heavy metal, is included in…
April 12, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS Has 3 Distinct Subtypes, Study of MRI Brain Patterns Using AI Reports Using artificial intelligence (AI) on imaging data collected from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, researchers were able to classify these people into three new disease subtypes, each distinct from the current groupings determined byĀ symptoms. These new subtypes may allow doctors to better determine those patients more likely to have…
March 19, 2021 Columns by Jamie Hughes ‘I’d Prefer Not To’: Confronting the Tasks We Don’t Want to Do For a week, Iāve spent my afternoons painting our enclosed garden. When we built it last spring, the wood was new and lovely, but rain and sun have taken a toll on everything, leaving it dingy and dull. And now that we have a custom-built white shed (courtesy of my…
February 8, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD New Spinal Cord Lesions Can Be Evident in Stable MS Patients Asymptomatic damage to spinal nerves occurs even in clinically stable cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) and carries an increased risk for further lesions, a recent study suggests. Although a firm link between the asymptomatic loss of myelin in the spine and worsening disability remains to be found, this work…
November 9, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Monitoring Fluctuations in Brain Volume May Help Track RRMS Disease Progression The brain volume of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) undergoes a dynamic cycle of enlargement and contractions, a new study shows. Patients with a lower volume (contractions) had less severe MS and a shorter disease duration, the study found. Overall, these findings suggest that frequent monitoring of the…
August 27, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – MRI Changes Can Reflect Function in Progressive MS, Study Says Certain MRI measures of the brain and spinal cord directly associate with functional improvements in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. According to BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, these data will help in determining the benefits ofĀ NurOwn, the companyās stem cell-based…