This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

I tried looking, but could not find any references to it outside of the "5-letter word" forum

Even if you totally disagree with the "5-letter word" paradigm, I feel this new test could be used in checking our existing treatments.

For example, the thing which has been burning a hole in the back of my skull since I first read about it is:

• Iron content was found to strongly correlate with dissability
  Campath trial participants have had some amazing disability reversal

Does Campath drastically reduce the iron buildup in the brain? (NB:I have read it also affects genes for neurogenesis)

I would love to see some SWI images of before and after campath treatment.

Link from the "other" forum [Sharon]http://www.thisisms.com/ftopicp-72688.html#72688
Dr. Mark Haake's research http://www.ms-mri.com/

In the last few years, researchers have recognized the presence of increased iron content in the basal ganglia and thalamus. This in itself suggests the possibility of venous damage in MS. But the interest and association of MS with veins dates back to Fog (1) in 1964 with a major decade's long effort to convince people of the role of the mechanical effects of changes in venous flow by Schelling (2). However, the excitement comes from a proof of concept that MS is a chronic cerebral spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) by Paolo Zamboni and his team (3).

CureOrBust wrote:I tried looking, but could not find any references to it outside of the "5-letter word" forum

Cure,

Do you mean you couldn't find any reference to SWI on TIMS (outside of the CCSVI forum), or on the web in general?

I 'd like to point out, also, that SWI MRI isn't the only way to detect iron in the brain. Conventional T1 and T2 weighted MRI images have been used in the past to try and quantify the amount of iron in the brain of patients with various neurological diseases (including MS):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1552 ... t=Abstract
http://tinyurl.com/yl2g875

From what I understand of SWI (which isn't much), it can provide better contrast of paramagnetic substances, at lower magnetic field strengths, than conventional techniques.

This study
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1435740/
is interesting. While it doesn't address Campath it does try to suggest how interferon-beta might have a positive effect in relation to iron deposition.

It would be very interesting if we had a similar research about EGCG instead of interferon.