Staring into the void: Black holes and MS prognosis
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 4:57 am
Physicians commonly measure multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity based on the appearance of new T2-weighted hyperintense MRI lesions, which arise due to edema, inflammation, gliosis, and axonal loss. Given the nonspecific disease processes leading to these lesions and the often-mediocre correlation between T2 lesions and clinical outcomes, however, the search continues for a more specific tool that lends insight into MS pathophysiology and disease activity.
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the possibility of measuring chronic or persistent T1-weighted lesions that appear hypointense relative to normal-appearing white matter—lesions also known as “black holes”—as a means of gauging MS-associated neurodegeneration. This approach is supported by a considerable body of histopathological evidence indicating that chronic T1 black holes reflect irreversible demyelination and axonal loss........ Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/braininflammation
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the possibility of measuring chronic or persistent T1-weighted lesions that appear hypointense relative to normal-appearing white matter—lesions also known as “black holes”—as a means of gauging MS-associated neurodegeneration. This approach is supported by a considerable body of histopathological evidence indicating that chronic T1 black holes reflect irreversible demyelination and axonal loss........ Read More - http://www.ms-uk.org/braininflammation