Why are the blood vessels of the brain important in MS?

About the project

This project will use a new type of MRI scan to help us understand more about the blood vessels in MS. In the future this technique could help us answer big questions about how MS happens. But we first need to know it's safe and useful for people with MS.

In MS, some immune cells enter the brain and spinal cord where they mistakenly attack myelin. There's also damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in MS, causing leaks. So fluid and cells escape from the vessels into the surrounding brain or spinal cord, which also damages myelin. We don’t fully understand why this happens. Or the order it happens in.

If we could find out whether small leaks happen before myelin damage, we might be able to better understand the process. And know whether repairing the BBB when leaks are small is an important thing to treat.

The team leading this project have developed a new type of MRI scan where they can see very small leaks. Now they want to use this new MRI scan for people with MS. They want to know if people with MS have more of these small leaks than people without MS. And exactly how much fluid is leaking through. More fluid leaking out means more damage to the brain.  

How will it help people with MS?

In the future, using this new MRI scan could help us to answer big questions about how MS happens. But we first need to know it is safe and useful for people with MS.

This project also has impact for people living with MS now. The MRI scans could tell us if a potential treatment in a clinical trial is repairing blood vessel damage. It could also spot small leaks before they cause damage to the brain. This means treatments could be used to intervene early.