MRIscan side effects

This is because many lesions may be in areas of the brain that don’t produce symptoms. And some areas of damage that could be causing symptoms might be too small to see on the scan.

Doctors will also use a contrast agent called gadolinium with a T1-weighted scan to focus on newer, active lesions. Gadolinium only highlights active damage because it can’t enter the brain unless there’s inflammation.

PartsofMRImachine and its function

The protective myelin coating is a fatty substance, so it repels water. This means we can measure how much myelin is present because it looks different to nerves and other cells in the brain on a scan.

Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI for short, uses strong magnetic fields to see inside the body. It’s particularly useful in MS as it allows us to measure what’s happening in the brain and spinal cord.

HowMRIworks

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MRI measures how much water there is in the body. Because different parts of the brain have different amounts of water, we can use MRI to distinguish them and build up pictures of the central nervous system.

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MRI plays a vital role in how we diagnose and monitor MS. In fact, over 90% of people have their MS diagnosis confirmed by MRI.

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MRI has shaped how we monitor and treat MS too. It’s used to build a picture of how someone’s MS is changing over time. This can help to decide if a treatment is working.

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MRIscan cost

Researchers sometimes rely on MRI scans in clinical trials to see the effect of a particular treatment. MRI scans can give us a window into the brain to see whether new treatments look promising much earlier on, before symptoms of progression even appear.

Although the procedure is painless, the machine itself can be very noisy. You’ll also be asked to keep as still as possible during the scan, so it’s important to get comfortable before it starts.

In MS your immune system attacks the myelin coating surrounding nerves. MRI scans can pick up these areas of damage, called lesions, in different parts of your central nervous system.

During an MRI scan you’ll be asked to lie flat on a bed that’s then moved inside the scanner. The scan usually lasts for 15 to 90 minutes, depending on how many images are being taken.

Research has highlighted the benefits of regular MRI scans to monitor MS and inform treatment decisions. But, there's lots of factors to consider when deciding how often to have a scan. It's best to discuss this with healthcare professionals

A common type of MRI for MS is a T2-weighted scan, which detects all areas of myelin damage in the brain and spinal cord. Doctors may also use a type of scan called FLAIR, which makes it easier to spot the lesions.

New, more powerful scanners will help us to detect even more subtle changes in the brain and spinal cord in MS. Improvements in MRI technology also mean we can run shorter trials to test the potential of new MS drugs, speeding up the whole development process.