Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. Some magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers for disease activity such as the number of Gadolinium-enhancing lesions work well to predict the conversion from clinically isolated syndrome to MS. MRI and pathological studies report iron accumulation around a subset of chronically demyelinated MS plaques forming characteristic iron ring lesions. In this longitudinal imaging study on MS patients we will analyze the presence or absence of hypointense rings around lesions in susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) around a subset of lesions, and in a subset of MS patients. If the presence or absence of the respective lesion types is indeed related to faster or slower atrophy development, we will be able to establish a highly practical novel imaging marker for disease progression in multiple sclerosis.

Brain iron is according to many studies related to neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* mapping are promising tools to image and analyze areas of increased iron levels within the human brain by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both QSM and R2* are well established methods for isotropic deep gray matter, but the situation is more complex for white matter regions. The aim of this project is to create a 3D iron atlas and a myelin atlas of a whole human brain in order to evaluate QSM and R2* mapping. The iron atlas and the myelin map will be based on 2D histological analysis (iron and myelin staining) and the ferrozine assay will be used to calculate a quantitative iron map. In order to create a 3D map of the iron and myelin concentrations, the 2D iron and myelin stains will be reconstructed to a 3D volume referred to as atlas.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. Some magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers for disease activity such as the number of Gadolinium-enhancing lesions work well to predict the conversion from clinically isolated syndrome to MS. MRI and pathological studies report iron accumulation around a subset of chronically demyelinated MS plaques forming characteristic iron ring lesions. In this longitudinal imaging study on MS patients we will analyze the presence or absence of hypointense rings around lesions in susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) around a subset of lesions, and in a subset of MS patients. If the presence or absence of the respective lesion types is indeed related to faster or slower atrophy development, we will be able to establish a highly practical novel imaging marker for disease progression in multiple sclerosis.

Brain iron is according to many studies related to neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* mapping are promising tools to image and analyze areas of increased iron levels within the human brain by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both QSM and R2* are well established methods for isotropic deep gray matter, but the situation is more complex for white matter regions. The aim of this project is to create a 3D iron atlas and a myelin atlas of a whole human brain in order to evaluate QSM and R2* mapping. The iron atlas and the myelin map will be based on 2D histological analysis (iron and myelin staining) and the ferrozine assay will be used to calculate a quantitative iron map. In order to create a 3D map of the iron and myelin concentrations, the 2D iron and myelin stains will be reconstructed to a 3D volume referred to as atlas.

Brain iron is according to many studies related to neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* mapping are promising tools to image and analyze areas of increased iron levels within the human brain by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both QSM and R2* are well established methods for isotropic deep gray matter, but the situation is more complex for white matter regions. The aim of this project is to create a 3D iron atlas and a myelin atlas of a whole human brain in order to evaluate QSM and R2* mapping. The iron atlas and the myelin map will be based on 2D histological analysis (iron and myelin staining) and the ferrozine assay will be used to calculate a quantitative iron map. In order to create a 3D map of the iron and myelin concentrations, the 2D iron and myelin stains will be reconstructed to a 3D volume referred to as atlas.

Brain iron is according to many studies related to neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* mapping are promising tools to image and analyze areas of increased iron levels within the human brain by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both QSM and R2* are well established methods for isotropic deep gray matter, but the situation is more complex for white matter regions. The aim of this project is to create a 3D iron atlas and a myelin atlas of a whole human brain in order to evaluate QSM and R2* mapping. The iron atlas and the myelin map will be based on 2D histological analysis (iron and myelin staining) and the ferrozine assay will be used to calculate a quantitative iron map. In order to create a 3D map of the iron and myelin concentrations, the 2D iron and myelin stains will be reconstructed to a 3D volume referred to as atlas.