Imaging outcomes for neuroprotection and repair in MS

As we learn that MS is more than an attack on the white-matter, it has become apparent that we need to focus on neuroprotection as treatment avenue. This means we need to be able to tell when a treatment is having a neuroprotective effect to tell if it is working. A review of the literature on imaging techniques that can indicate neuroprotection and repair has some suggestions.

They conclude that: At present, the three most promising primary outcomes in phase II trials of neuroprotective and/or reparative strategies in MS are: changes in whole-brain volume to gauge general cerebral atrophy; T1 hypointensity and magnetization transfer ratio to monitor the evolution of lesion damage; and optical coherence tomography findings to evaluate the anterior visual pathway.