Abstract
Neuroimaging has emerged as a powerful technology that has enabled visualization of
the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) on the central nervous system in vivo with unprecedented
precision. It has played a crucial role in disentangling the chronology of inflammation
and neurodegeneration, developing and understanding mechanisms of novel therapeutics,
and diagnosing and monitoring the disease in the clinical setting. However, challenges
pertaining to the limited resolution, lack of specificity, inherent technological
biases, and processing of increasingly big datasets have hindered comprehensive insights
into the pathology underlying disability.
Here, we review the advances in neuroimaging for MS that have moved the field forward
in recent years by addressing the above-mentioned issues, thereby enhancing our knowledge
of this yet enigmatic disease. We discuss complementary imaging technologies, including
magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and optical coherence tomography,
the most recent tool in the MS imaging armamentarium that holds promise to act as
a surrogate of pathological changes in the central nervous system in a more easily
accessible way.
Keywords
multiple sclerosis - magnetic resonance imaging - positron emission tomography - optical
coherence tomography - atrophy
