Title

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers in ALS

Short name

MRI

Principal Investigators

Michael Benatar, MD, PhD (Emory)
John Carew, PhD (Carolinas Healthcare)

Site-PI

Summary

This is a longitudinal study designed to assess whether MRI is a useful biomarker of disease progression in ALS. Participants in this study have repeat MRI scans every 3-6 months. The MRI scan involves two procedures: MRS (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) measures nerve ‘function’, and DTI (diffusion tensor imaging) measures nerve ‘structure’. Each MRI session (which includes MRS and DTI) takes about an hour.

Eligibility criteria

• 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

Funding agency

Emory University Research Committee
Emory University/Georgia Institute of Technology Biomedical Engineering
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association
Muscular Dystrophy Association

Collaborators

Govind Bhagavatheeshwaran, PhD (Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University)
John Carew, PhD (Carolinas HealthCare System)
Varan Govind, PhD (University of Miami)
Xiaoping Hu, PhD (Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University)
Nader Metwalli (Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University)

Research Coordinators

Eliana Reyes, B.A.

Catalina Maria Fernandez, MD

Contact information

Email:
Phone: 1-888-413-9315

Link(s)

Publications

Carew JD, Nair, G, Andersen PM, Wuu J, Gronka S, Hu X, Benatar M. Pre-symptomatic spinal cord neurometbolic findings in SOD1+ people at risk for famiilal ALS. Neurology. 2011 Oct 4; 77:1370-1375
Press Release

Turner MR, Grosskreutz J, Jassubek J, Abrahams S, Agosta F, Benatar M, Filippi M, Goldstein LH, van den Heuvel M, Kalra S, Lulé D, Mohammadi B. Towards a neuroimaging biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Lancet Neurol. 2011 May;10(5):400-3.

Carew JD, Nair G, Pineda-Alonso N, Usher S, Hu X, Benatar M. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the cervical cord in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotroph Lateral Scler. 2010 May;12(3):185-91. Epub 2010 Dec 14. PMID: 21143004

Nair G, Carew JD, Usher S, Lu D, Hu XP, Benatar M. Diffusion tensor imaging reveals regional differences in the cervical spinal cord in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuroimage. 2010 Nov 1;53(2):576-83. Epub 2010 Jun 28. PMID: 20600964

Metwalli NS, Benatar M, Nair G, Usher S, Hu X, Carew JD. 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. Epub 2010 Jun 1. PMID: 20513367

Presentations and Lectures

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