MRI Method Uncovers Invisible MS Lesions

Scoop

10-07-2025

A new MRI method developed by the team at the Mātai Medical Research Institute detects subtle brain lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients that are not seen on current state-of-the-art scans. The new method provides ten times more contrast than conventional methods and shows promise for earlier detection and more precise monitoring of MS. This could advance treatment strategies for this debilitating disorder, and help distinguish it from other inflammatory disorders of the brain and spinal cord. It could also change how we track MS progression and make MRI a more sensitive tool for guiding MS care.
Paul Condron, Mātai Charge Technologist, said, 'In 1981, a team from the Royal Postgraduate Medical School (UK), including Professor Graeme Bydder, published the first study demonstrating the use of MRI in MS. Over 40 years later, Professor Bydder is continuing his pioneering work on the use of MRI in MS at Mātai. Our findings using ultra-high contrast (UHC) MRI, surpass standard MRI in both lesion detection and structural clarity.' Condron adds, 'The new MRI method is likely to significantly improve how doctors detect and monitor MS including progressive disease. This could lead to better treatment and care for patients. It is a major leap forward in MS imaging'.
'This technology opens the door to earlier diagnosis, better treatment planning, and potentially life-altering early interventions,' said Professor Bydder. 'If we can detect and treat inflammation before it leads to irreversible damage, we could significantly delay progression and reduce the long-term impact on patients and the healthcare system. The limitations of conventional MRI have long hindered our ability to detect the full scope of disease activity in MS,' said Bydder. 'The ability to identify early white matter changes provides an unprecedented window into the active neuroinflammatory processes involved in MS. UHC MRI not only reveals lesions that are completely invisible with current techniques, but it also gives us access to new signs of disease activity including changes at the boundaries of lesions that could redefine how we understand progression in MS.'
The new UHC MRI technique is also showing changes in tissue beyond the standard plaque assessment that has been at the core of MS brain imaging. MS sufferers often experience symptoms that are difficult to explain, and this may help to understand more fully the broad range of physical, cognitive, emotional and social difficulties that patients experience. This has the potential to open the way to a broader range of treatments reflecting the MS sufferers lived experience.
In addition to spotting extra abnormalities in both grey and white matter, the advanced scans provided clearer images of spinal cord and optic nerve damage, which is often difficult to detect. The scans also demonstrate widespread transient changes in brain tissue during MS flare-ups that are not seen using standard imaging methods.
The ongoing research into the use of UHC MRI in MS is made possible by generous support from the New Zealand Multiple Sclerosis Research Trust (NZMRST), and the JN & HB Williams Foundation, allied with local, national, and international research partnerships. The initial study will include 50 participants to be recruited in Auckland and Tarawhiti using clinical networks and community connections. Some will have established MS, and others will be scanned at their first presentation with symptoms suggestive of MS to assess the sensitivity of UHC MRI in detecting very early disease.
Neil Woodhams, a spokesperson for NZMSRT, said 'If we can see early signs of active inflammation in MS and start treatment before irreversible damage occurs, the burden of MS could be greatly reduced. The new technique also may help identify areas of persistent low-grade inflammation that underly gradual progressive worsening, the main cause of long-term disability in MS. It could ultimately have a substantial influence on how MS is diagnosed and managed worldwide'.
MRI scans from a woman with MS (multiple sclerosis) in remission. In the standard scan (left), there's a faint, blurry area in the brainstem. In the UHC-MRI scan (right), the same area appears much clearer and larger - showing how this newer imaging approach can uncover more detail than traditional methods.
Full journal paper:
Ultra-High Contrast (UHC) MRI of the Brain, Spinal Cord and Optic Nerves in Multiple Sclerosis Using Directly Acquired and Synthetic Bipolar Filter (BLAIR) Images