Spinal Cord Analysis in Multiple Sclerosis

Structural Analysis of Spinal Cord Grey and White Matter Changes in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: Sub-study Within the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Cohort (SMSC-study)

Research project in which patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are examined clinically and with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To evaluate spinal cord (SC) grey and white matter changes (incl. lesions) using fast, high-resolution MRI sequences with high contrast between SC and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as well as high contrast within the SC (grey-white matter contrast).

The Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Cohort (SMSC-Study) aims to better evaluate specific Multiple Sclerosis (MS) phenotypes through the systematic and standardised documentation and acquisition of clinical course and paraclinical tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens.

Determination of the relative contribution of SC metrics (cervical cord volume, cervical grey matter (GM) cord volume, cervical white matter (WM) cord volume, SC lesion load) to disability in MS.

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis
• Steroid free period: > 4 weeks
• healthy controls without any history of severe neurological, internistic or psychiatric disease

Exclusion Criteria for all participants:

• History of severe (other) neurological, internistic or psychiatric disease

• MRI related exclusion criteria:

  1. Paramagnetic and/or superparamagnetic foreign objects in the body
  2. Pacemaker
  3. Claustrophobia
  4. Pregnancy, lactation