Multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis
Conditions
Interventions
Sponsors
Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
Eligibility
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: To be eligible to participate in this study, a participant must have previously participated in the Amsterdam MS Cohort (2020.269), have not provided objection to be contacted for follow-up study and be capable of providing consent independently.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: A potential participant who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:General exclusion criteria:PregnancyA neurological disorder other than MSKnown contraindications for MRI investigations as listed in the MRI screening form. These include any medical implants: pacemakers, surgical aneurysm clips, and other known metal fragments embedded in the body, including eyes. If they have had surgery in the past 6 weeks or severe claustrophobia they will also be excluded. Incapable of providing informed consent independently Additional exclusion criteria for pwMS:A relapse and or steroid use in the two months prior to participation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The cerebellum is known to be a prevalent site of MS pathology but is currently under-investigated due to small size and complex anatomy. Recent technical advances, including the development of 7T MRI-scanners and motion-compensation algorithms to reduce the effect of patient movement, now allow the investigation of cerebellar cortical volume, cortical thickness and quantitative MRI characteristics, such as T1 and susceptibility values, as well as regional functional changes. Our first main objective is to detect and characterize structural abnormalities (small lesions, paramagnetic rim lesions, microstructural changes and tissue specific atrophy) in pwMS using high-resolution anatomical data (7T MRI). To this end, with 7T MRI we will acquire submillimetre structural images of the entire brain (0.5mm3) including T1-weighted MRI, quantitative susceptibility and diffusion weighted imaging. Structural data will be compared between pwMS and HC. Within subjects, already collected 3T data in the same patient will be used to compare patterns of cerebellar damage to assess the added value of detecting lesions at 7T compared to 3T. Our second main objective is to improve our understanding of the functional 7T MRI changes within the cerebellum, as this is a particularly understudied field of research in MS. Cerebellar regional and subject specific functional activation and connectivity will be investigated during movements and at rest. To this end, we will acquire high-resolution functional 7T MRI-data during visually guided force matching23 of hand and foot and during rest. The task and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) data will be compared between pwMS and HC. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Our secondary objective is to investigate the relations between structural changes, functional disturbances (activation levels during movements and RS connectivity strength at rest) and clinical disability within the cerebellum. Structure-function relationships will be examined within both pwMS as well as HC. Within the MS group, the relation between MRI measures and clinical disability will be investigated. | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Contacts
Public ContactM Strik
Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
Outcome results
None listed