In the past few years there have been impressive advances in the implementation of modern MRI techniques for the assessment of MS patients with the ultimate goal to define MRI markers of MS evolution. The authors of this volume not only review these new techniques, such as magnetization transfer (MT) MRI, diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI and proton MR spectroscopy (MRS), that are increasingly being used to monitor MS evolution, but also those, such as functional MRI (fMRI), cell-specific MRI, perfusion MRI, and microscopic imaging with ultra-high field MRI, that are emerging as additional promising tools for improving our understanding of MS pathophysiology. Strengths and weaknesses of all these modern quantitative MRI techniques for the study of MS are extensively covered in this book. The book also provides a valuable summary of the state of the art.

In recent decades, the use of neuroimaging techniques has resulted in outstanding progress in the diagnosis and management of neurological diseases, and this is particularly true of those diseases that affect the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. This book, written by internationally acclaimed experts, comprises a series of comprehensive and up-to-date reviews on the use of MR imaging in these major neurological conditions. The diverse available MR techniques, such as magnetization transfer MRI, diffusion-weighted MRI, MR spectroscopy, functional MRI, cell-specific MRI, perfusion MRI, and microscopic imaging with ultra-high field MRI, offer an extraordinarily powerful means of gaining fundamental in vivo insights into disease processes. The strengths and weaknesses of all these techniques in the study of multiple sclerosis and other relevant diseases are extensively considered. After an introductory section on neuroimaging technology, subsequent sections address disorders of myelination, demyelinating diseases, immune-mediated disorders, and white matter disorders related to aging and other conditions. This book provides a valuable summary of the state of the art in the field, and defines important areas for future research.

This book helps physicians select from among the currently available imaging tools, promoting the correct and cost-saving diagnosis and management of common dementias. Magnetic resonance (MR) and nuclear medicine techniques are routinely used to facilitate diagnosis, select therapies, provide information regarding the prognosis, and monitor therapy response in patients with cognitive impairment and dementia. Furthermore, the advent of quantitative MR techniques, such as diffusion-weighted imaging, perfusion imaging, etc. have opened up new opportunities to diagnose neurological diseases based on objective findings, and offer unique new insights into the main neurodegenerative diseases of the human brain. However, the practical value of various neuroimaging techniques in clinical practice has yet to be clearly defined, and their potential for future development is not yet fully appreciated. To help remedy the situation, this book offers practical and useful algorithms and rules that can be directly applied in the clinical setting. It provides concise content, together with a wealth of clinical case material.

The second edition of this volume provides up-to-date methods on the main methodological aspects of functional MRI (fMRI), applying fMRI to the study of central nervous system, and future evolutions of fMRI techniques. fMRI: Method and Protocols, Second Edition guides the reader through chapters on basic knowledge for the understanding of the technical aspects of fMRI, overview of the main results derived from the application of fMRI to the study of healthy individuals, application of fMRI to assess the role of brain plasticity in the major neurological and psychiatric conditions, and novel approaches for the integration of fMRI data. Concise and easy-to-use, fMRI: Method and Protocols, Second Edition aims to be useful to clinicians and researchers with a user-friendly summary of the field and necessary background ensuring further successful studies.

The second edition of this volume provides up-to-date methods on the main methodological aspects of functional MRI (fMRI), applying fMRI to the study of central nervous system, and future evolutions of fMRI techniques. fMRI: Method and Protocols, Second Edition guides the reader through chapters on basic knowledge for the understanding of the technical aspects of fMRI, overview of the main results derived from the application of fMRI to the study of healthy individuals, application of fMRI to assess the role of brain plasticity in the major neurological and psychiatric conditions, and novel approaches for the integration of fMRI data. Concise and easy-to-use, fMRI: Method and Protocols, Second Edition aims to be useful to clinicians and researchers with a user-friendly summary of the field and necessary background ensuring further successful studies.

The second part of a comprehensive two-volume exploration on Multiple Sclerosis, Guest Edited by Mauricio Filippi. Employing an international group of well-known authors, this issue explores such current topics as High-field MRI, relaxation times, and what the future holds.

Recent years have witnessed dramatic advances in the development and use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques that can provide quantitative measures with some degree of pathological specificity for the heterogeneous substrates of multiple sclerosis (MS). Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is one of the most promising of these techniques. Thanks to MRS, axonal damage is no longer considered an end-stage phenomenon typical of only the most destructive lesions and the most unfortunate cases, but rather as a major component of the MS pathology of lesions and normal-appearing white matter at all the phases of the disease. This new concept is rapidly changing our understanding of MS pathophysiology and, as a consequence, the therapeutic strategies to modify the disease course favorably. Many of the authors have pionereed the use of MRS in MS, thus contributing to the foundation of the "axonal hypothesis".

The therapeutic era for MS has begun, and many new, potentially effective treatments are now available. MRI offers a range of techniques which are more reliable and sensitive than any other available approach in detecting brain and spinal cord abnormalities, monitoring their evolution, and providing in vivo information about heterogenous pathological substrates of the MS lesions. Readers will find this volume a valuable summary of the state-of- the art, as well as a useful reference text from which to plan future clinical trials in MS.