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Updated: Jun 9, 2026
Assessing Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts on High Resolution MR Images
Published on: November 20, 2015
No evidence of microbleeds in ALS patients at 7 Tesla MRI
Esther Verstraete1, Geert-Jan Biessels, Martijn P van Den Heuvel
1Department of Neurology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht. E.Verstraete@umcutrecht.nl
Abstract:
There have been several reports about disruption of the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) and blood-brain barrier (BBB) in SOD1 mutant mice. Pathologically, microbleeds and hemosiderine deposits were found. We investigated patients with ALS for the occurrence of cerebral microbleeds with 7 Tesla MRI. Twelve patients with ALS and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were studied. We performed T2*-weighed imaging which enables whole-brain in vivo detection of cerebral microbleeds and hemosiderin deposits in humans. No microbleeds were found in patients with ALS.
Insights
Researchers investigated cerebral microbleeds in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients using advanced MRI. Contrary to findings in SOD1 mutant mice, no microbleeds were detected in ALS patients, suggesting differences in disease pathology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Radiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Previous studies in SOD1 mutant mice indicated blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption.
- Pathological findings in these mice included microbleeds and hemosiderin deposits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the occurrence of cerebral microbleeds in human patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
- To compare findings in human ALS patients with observations in SOD1 mutant mouse models.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 7 Tesla MRI for high-resolution, in vivo detection of cerebral microbleeds.
- Employed T2*-weighted imaging sequences for whole-brain microbleed and hemosiderin deposit assessment.
- Studied 12 patients diagnosed with ALS and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
Main Results:
- No cerebral microbleeds were detected in any of the 12 patients with ALS.
- No hemosiderin deposits were observed in the ALS patient cohort.
Conclusions:
- The study did not find evidence of cerebral microbleeds in human ALS patients.
- Findings suggest that the microhemorrhage pathology observed in SOD1 mutant mice may not directly translate to human ALS.
