The use of new MRI techniques for assessing spinal cord changes in MS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of advanced MRI techniques within the spinal cord, in particular as applied to Multiple sclerosis patients: A cross-sectional study.
IRAS ID
309681
Contact name
Jonathan Fulford
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 29 days
Research summary
is an inflammatory demyelinating condition. This means it is caused by damage to myelin – a fatty material that insulates nerves, acting much like the covering of an electric wire. Myelin allows a nerve to transmit its impulses rapidly. It is the speed and efficiency with which these impulses are conducted that permits smooth, rapid and coordinated movements to be performed with little conscious effort. Spinal cord lesions in MS are more frequently observed in the cervical than in other regions and are usually peripheral, limited to two vertebral segments in length or less, and occupy less than half the cross-sectional area of the cord. Spinal cord atrophy (SCA) is more severe in the progressive forms of MS. Some studies in MS patients found a correlation between atrophy of the cervical cord and disability, measured using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS).Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become integral to the clinical management of MS over the past 20 years. Conventional MRI of the brain and spinal cord has proved to be the most important tool for the diagnosis of MS and for disease progress observation. However, the correlation between conventional MRI data and clinical findings remains limited. This might be, in part, due to the poor specificity.Alternatively, a number of MRI techniques have consequently been investigated that could improve our understanding of the evolution and pathophysiology of MS. These techniques potentially improve our ability to monitor inflammatory demyelination and axonal damage and yield information about structural and biochemical changes occurring within and outside macroscopic MS lesions. They include magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), magnetization transfer imaging (MTI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of these advanced MRI techniques to examine different degrees of MS progression including relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS), in patients who are already receiving standard scans as part of their clinical care. Subsequently, the results from these advanced techniques will be compared with results obtained previously in healthy subjects.REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SC/0264
Date of REC Opinion
21 Feb 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion