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.

MR Techniques - Principles: Basis of MR Contrast

MR Equipment and Instrumentation
Spin and Gradient Echo Imaging
Fast Imaging
Quantitative Imaging Techniques
Imaging of Cerebral Perfusion
Functional MRI
MR Spectroscopy
Future Trends. Disorders of Myelination: Neuroimaging of Normal Brain Development
Inherited and Acquired Metabolic Diseases of the Nervous System: MR Imaging
Inherited and Acquired Metabolic Diseases of the Nervous System: MR Spectroscopy. Demyelinating Diseases: Multiple Sclerosis: Conventional MR Imaging
Multiple Sclerosis: Other MR Techniques
Variants of Multiple Sclerosis: Acute MS, Neuromyelitis Optica, Schilder Disease, Balo's Concentric Sclerosis, and Tumefactive Demyelinating Lesions Diagnosed at Biopsy)
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
Demyelinating Diseases of the Spinal Cord
Demyelinating Diseases of the Optic Nerve. Immune-Mediated Disorders: Primary Angiitis of the Central Nervous System
Secondary Vasculitides of the Central Nervous System
White Matter Pathology in Systemic Immune-Mediated Diseases. White Matter Disorders Related with Aging: Neuroimaging of Normal Brain Aging
White Matter Abnormalities in Patients with Cerebrovascular Disease
Neurodegenerative Diseases with Associated White Matter Pathology. Matter Changes Secondary to Other Conditions: Viral and Non-Viral Infections
Neoplastic and Paraneoplastic Disorders
Trauma
Psychiatric Disorders.