Researchers have shown that a new MRI technique can measure brain iron levels in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a study published in Radiology. This breakthrough can help identify MS patients at an especially high risk of developing physical disabilities.
“Brain atrophy takes a long time to see,” lead author Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, said in a prepared statement. “We need an earlier measure of who will develop MS-related disability.”
The authors compared the brain iron levels in MS patients with levels in a healthy control group using quantitative susceptibility mapping, a new MRI technique. Parts of the brain with higher iron levels have been shown to have higher magnetic susceptibility.
Overall, the technique was performed on 600 MS patients and 250 healthy patients. The MS patients were found to have higher levels of iron in the basal ganglia, a part of the brain that controls movement. On the other hand, Zivadinov and colleagues found, MS patients had lower iron levels in their thalamus.
“In this large cohort of MS patients and healthy controls, we have reported, for the first time, iron increasing in the basal ganglia but decreasing in thalamic structures,” he said in the same statement. “Iron depletion or increase in several structures of the brain is an independent predictor of disability related to MS.”
Zivadinov added that basing actions on changes in magnetic susceptibility “would be extremely beneficial” for patient care.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.