MRI

Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Testing a new MRI contrast agent One concern that some people with MS have when getting an MRI…

Icometrix‘s quantification software for brain MRI scans has received a Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) III code, a temporary code for emerging technologies that should facilitate reimbursement. CPT codes, issued by the American Medical Association, are designed to identify procedures and services in healthcare plans. They are used in the…

The director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia (CEMCAT) has been recognized with the 2023 Charcot Award, a prestigious prize that honors researchers for their lifetime work toward understanding multiple sclerosis (MS). Xavier Montalban, MD, PhD, has contributed to several areas of MS research and clinical care…

Gadoquatrane, a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) that may be safer than current agents for people undergoing MRI scans, has entered a Phase 3 clinical testing program. Quanti CNS (NCT05915702), one of the three global trials in Bayer‘s development program, will assess gadoquatrane against an…

Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Myelin repair and clemastine The Multiple Sclerosis News Today story “MRI method detects myelin repair with…

The over-the-counter antihistamine clemastine has demonstrated an ability to repair myelin, the protective coating on nerve fibers that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of MRI data from the ReBUILD clinical trial. The changes in myelin were examined with a noninvasive MRI method that more…

Is artificial intelligence (AI) intelligent enough to help make a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS)? Apparently so, and more. In the United Kingdom, a project named AssistMS is studying whether AI can be used to detect and highlight changes on brain MRIs. An algorithm software called…

MRI scans of the brain acquired early on after the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) may help predict disease severity and disability accumulation after 10 years, a new study found. In particular, there were two MRI biomarkers — inter-caudate diameter (ICD) and third ventricular width (TVW) — detected…

Predicting whether an asymptomatic child or adolescent with signs of demyelination on imaging scans will develop multiple sclerosis (MS) is difficult using adult diagnostic criteria, a small study found. The findings highlight the need for more suitable criteria for pediatric patients, which could let them begin treatment…

Because people with multiple sclerosis (MS) usually undergo regular MRI scans to image their brains, their data could help researchers learn more the long-term effects of COVID-19 on brain tissue. That’s the argument by a team of researchers in the paper, “Multiple sclerosis as a…

Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column in which I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: A different type of stem cell transplant When stem cell transplant is mentioned to treat someone…

An upcoming study will investigate how well icobrain MS, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology, can interpret MRI data from people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and how its use might influence patient care. The project, called AssistMS and led by Icometrix — the technology’s developer — and Queen Mary University of London…

Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. In this column, I’ll be highlighting some MS News Today stories from last week’s Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis…

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…

A portable MRI device may be used to detect brain lesions that are indicative of multiple sclerosis (MS), and serve as a low-cost imaging tool that can be brought to patients for testing, according to a new analysis. While the system is not yet accurate enough to be used…

Treatment with CNM-Au8, an experimental oral liquid therapy, led to statistically significant improvements in the health of connections between brain regions for people with stable relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). That’s according to new MRI data from the Phase 2 VISIONARY-MS trial (NCT03536559), which tested CNM-Au8 against a placebo in…

Researchers were able to image the cerebellum — a small, compact region of the brain that plays key roles in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases — with greater clarity than ever before. Their imaging approach, which used MRI scanners equipped with powerful magnets, may help learn how…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) seems to be equally effective at stabilizing disease activity in Black and white patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a U.S. study found. Disability levels and MRI disease markers remained generally unchanged over the two-year study in both groups, despite Black patients having more severe disability…

Researchers have identified specific areas of brain damage associated with depression in multiple sclerosis (MS), but not with other symptoms of the disease. The findings could pave the way toward new treatments for MS-related depression that work to stimulate these regions. “The more we know about the connectivity of…

In a new collaboration, Brainomix will distribute in Europe a software solution developed by Pixyl that uses deep learning to improve the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS) via MRI scans. According to the partners, Pixyl‘s technology can detect abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging or MRI…

A team of doctors, researchers, and patients has come up with a set of recommendations to help medical professionals in navigating difficult discussions with patients about brain atrophy — or shrinkage — with multiple sclerosis (MS). “Our goal is to minimize misunderstanding and apprehension about brain atrophy, also known…

Using a new approach to track signals traveling between different brain regions, researchers found that these signals are slower in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), even in regions with no apparent disease-related damage, a new study reports. The approach may help complement MRI findings to determine the extent of…

The severity of sexual dysfunction doesn’t seem to be associated with MRI measures of disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), but it was significantly linked with depression, anxiety, and fatigue, a small study found. The findings highlight the complex nature of sexual dysfunction in MS and “underscore the importance…

Octave announced the commercial availability of a multiple sclerosis (MS) care program that examines various facets of a person’s disease to help determine the best course of treatment and management that’s tailored to an individual. The program, called MS Precision Care Solution, combines blood biomarker…

Recently diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with two forms of chronic active brain lesions — slowly expanding lesions (SELs) and paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) — on their MRI scans experience greater disability progression than those with SELs only, a small study suggests. Also, the slowly expanding lesions are…

Note: This story was updated Oct. 31, 2022, to correct that in the six months after treatment discontinuation, relapses were reported in 18.8% of RMMS patients and 3.5% of those with SPMS. When multiple sclerosis (MS) patients stop their disease-modifying treatment, the risk of relapses and disease activity on…

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…

Among children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) resulted in less disease activity on MRI scans and fewer relapses, compared with Avonex (interferon beta-1a), according to new data from the CONNECT Phase 3 trial. Researchers noted the lack of disease-modifying therapies…

The presence of iron rim lesions, which are regions of chronic inflammation seen on MRI scans, may be linked to a more severe disease course in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. The findings suggest the presence and number of iron rim lesions could serve…

A quick MRI-based method called SyMRI may be useful in future clinical trials to test experimental myelin-repairing therapies in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. The study, “Quantification of individual remyelination during short-term disease course by synthetic magnetic resonance imaging,” was published in Brain…