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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
08:51
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
Spinal cord imaging for multiple sclerosis: Advances, priorities, and opportunities
Cornelia Laule1, Julien Cohen-Adad2, Atlee A Witt3
1Departments of Radiology, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Physics & Astronomy, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Multiple Sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)
|June 1, 2026
Summary
Spinal cord imaging in multiple sclerosis (MS) is crucial for understanding disease progression. Advanced techniques and quantitative analysis are needed for better diagnosis, prognosis, and patient outcomes in MS clinical care.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The spinal cord is central to multiple sclerosis (MS) pathophysiology but is under-studied compared to the brain.
- Understanding spinal cord involvement is vital for MS diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review key insights from the 2025 North American Imaging in MS Spinal Cord Imaging Workshop.
- To highlight advances, challenges, and opportunities in MS spinal cord imaging.
Main Methods:
- Review of pathological studies and clinical relevance of spinal cord lesions and atrophy.
- Exploration of emerging biomarkers for progression independent of relapse activity.
- Correlation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with histopathology and clinical outcomes.
Main Results:
- Advanced spinal cord imaging techniques show translational potential.
- Emerging biomarkers can track progression independent of relapse activity.
- Spinal cord lesions and atrophy are clinically relevant for MS management.
Conclusions:
- Integrating advanced, quantitative spinal cord imaging into clinical trials and care is essential.
- Improved spinal cord imaging can better capture MS pathology and enhance patient outcomes.
- Addressing challenges in spinal cord-specific processing and reproducibility is critical for clinical integration.
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