A new study says a buildup of sodium in the brain detectable by magnetic resonance imaging might be a marker for the nerve-cell degeneration that occurs in people who have multiple sclerosis — and the discovery could help drug companies develop potential treatments for the disease.
Researchers at the Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine worked for two years to develop ways to perform MRI that would show sodium concentrations in the brain.
MS is an inflammatory disease that limits the ability of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other.
Researchers conducted sodium MRI on 26 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), the most common form of the disease characterized by clearly defined attacks of worsening neurologic function followed by periods of recovery.
The study found that the brains of patients in the early stages of the disease had sodium accumulation in particular areas, while those of patients with advanced MS had sodium buildup throughout.
"In RRMS patients, the amount of sodium accumulation in grey matter associated with the motor system was directly correlated to the degree of patient disability," Wafaa Zaaraoui, one of the study's authors, said in a release.
"Brain sodium MR imaging can help us to better understand the disease and to monitor the occurrence of neuronal injury in MS patients and possibly in patients with other brain disorders," study author Jean-Philippe Ranjeva said.
The study was published online in the journal Radiology.
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