In this protocol, a combination of MRI, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis will be used to understand the natural history, underlying immunologic mechanisms, and clinical implications of central nervous system (CNS) lesions, in particular lesions in the cerebral cortex, in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other inflammatory and autoimmune disorders affecting the CNS. Patients with these disorders, as well as healthy controls, will undergo baseline clinical evaluation and testing, bloodwork, and MRI, with follow up clinical evaluation, bloodwork, and MRI at years 1, 3, and 6. Additional MRIs may be performed in patients with possible new lesion formation or to compare MRI techniques. Lumbar puncture will be performed on participants who are not currently being treated with disease modifying therapies and who are willing to undergo the procedure.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years old
• able to provide consent in English
• able to undergo MRI

Exclusion Criteria:

• contraindication to MRI
• pregnancy

Adults with MS or other neuroinflammatory diseases and healthy volunteers

Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article, after deidentification (text, tables, figures, and appendices).

Beginning 3 months and ending 5 years following article publication.

Researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal. Any purpose. Specify Other Mechanism Proposals should be directed to erin.beck@mssm.edu To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement.