Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Detect Brain Damage in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Study Summary

This study will determine whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect damage to certain parts of the brain and analyze the thickness of the brain's outer surface in patients with multiple sclerosis. MRI is a diagnostic test that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. It can sometimes permit diagnosis even before symptoms develop. MS is a disease of white matter, the fatty covering around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The nerves themselves are called gray matter. Damage to white matter impairs nerve function, leading to a variety of symptoms, such as weakness, vision problems, difficulty walking, paralysis, and others. MRI can detect some changes in white matter, but changes that may also appear in gray matter may be more difficult to find. This study will use new MRI techniques to try to identify gray matter damage in patients with MS. Healthy volunteers and people with MS or clinically isolated syndrome (an early stage of MS in which the patient has had just one of the problems MS can cause) who are between 18 and 55 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and neurological examination, and blood and urine tests. Within one month of the screening evaluation, participants undergo MRI scanning on a standard 1.5 Tesla machine to confirm their health status. (The power of the MRI scanner is measured in Tesla; the higher the Tesla, the better the visualization.) For this procedure, the subject lies on a table that moves into the scanner (a narrow cylinder with a magnetic field), and wears earplugs to muffle loud knocking and thumping sounds that occur during the scanning process. During the procedure, a contrast agent called Gadolinium is injected into the blood stream to brighten the images. The test lasts about 2 hours, during which time the subject must lie still for up to a few minutes at a time. Within a month after the first MRI, participant