Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers in ALS (MRI)

• Age ≥ 18 years
• Sporadic or familial ALS
• FVC > 70% predicted
• No claustrophobia and no contra-indication to MRI
• Pre-fALS participants and other healthy subjects are also invited to participate

ALS Association

ALS Recovery Fund

• Martin Turner, MD, PhD (University of Oxford)
• Varan Govind, PhD (University of Miami)

Research Coordinators

• Eliana Reyes, B.A.
• Sumaira Hussain, B.Sc.

Contact Information

• fals@med.miami.edu
• Phone: 305-243-0408

• Carew JD, Nair, G, Andersen PM, et al. Pre-symptomatic spinal cord neurometbolic findings in SOD1+ people at risk for famiilal ALS. Neurology. 2011 Oct 4; 77:1370-1375. [ Pubmed Link ] [ Press Release ]
• Turner MR, Grosskreutz J, Kassubek J, et al. Towards a neuroimaging biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Lancet Neurol. 2011 May;10(5):400-3. [ Pubmed Link ]
• Carew JD, Nair G, Pineda-Alonso N, et al. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the cervical cord in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotroph Lateral Scler. 2010 May;12(3):185-91. [ Pubmed Link ]
• Nair G, Carew JD, Usher S, et al. Diffusion tensor imaging reveals regional differences in the cervical spinal cord in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuroimage. 2010 Nov 1;53(2):576-83. [ Pubmed Link ]
• Metwalli NS, Benatar M, Nair G, et al. Utility of axial and radial diffusivity from diffusion tensor MRI as markers of neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain Res. 2010 Aug 12;1348:156-64. [ Pubmed Link ]

Nair G, Wuu J, Gronka S, Walker M, Carew J, Benatar M. MRI evidence of disease in pre-symptomatic SOD1+ individuals at risk for developing familial ALS. Accepted for platform presentation at the 22nd International Symposium on ALS/MND, Sydney, Australia, Nov 30 – Dec 2, 2011

Carew J, Nair G, Usher S, Hu X, Benatar M. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of the Cervical Spine in ALS and Pre-symptomatic SOD1 Positive People. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 19th Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, May 7-13, 2011

Nair G, Carew J, Li L, Usher S, Hu X, Benatar M. DTI Detects Progressive Neurodegeneration in the Brain and Cervical Spinal Cord in ALS. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 19th Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, May 7-13, 2011

Nair G, Carew J, Usher S, Benatar M, Hu X. T1-weighted Images Detect Motor Neuron Degeneration in ALS. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 19th Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, May 7-13, 2011

Nair G, Gronka S, Lu D, Wuu J, Hu XP, Benatar M. Towards an imaging-metric for presymptomatic manifestations of ALS. Poster presentation at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 19th Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, May 7-13, 2011

Nair G, Lu D, Walker M, Carew J, Hu X, Benatar M. Longitudinal Evolution of MRI Parameters with Disease Progression in ALS. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 19th Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, May 7-13, 2011

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Correlates with ALS Severity. Platform Presentation by John Carew at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Northeast ALS Consortium, St Pete’s Beach, Florida, October 2009

Metwalli N, Benatar M, Nair G, Usher S, Hu X, Carew J. Axial and Radial Diffusivity are Sensitive Diffusion Tensor MRI Measures in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. 15th Annual Human Brain Mapping Meeting, San Francisco, June 2009