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 MRI Contrast
Hardware for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Spin- and Gradient-Echo Imaging
Fast Imaging with an Introduction to k-Space
Magnetization Transfer
Quantitative Diffusion Imaging
MR Methods to Measure Cerebral Perfusion
Functional MRI
MR Spectroscopy
Molecular Imaging and High-Field MRI in Multiple Sclerosis
Disorders of Myelination
MR Imaging of Brain Development
Imaging of Inherited and Acquired Metabolic Brain Disorders
Proton MR Spectroscopy in Metabolic Disorders of the Central Nervous System
Demyelinating Diseases
Conventional MRI Techniques in Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis: Other MR Techniques
Variants of Multiple Sclerosis
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis
Demyelinating Diseases of the Spinal Cord
Demyelinating Diseases of the Optic Nerve
Immune-Mediated Disorders
Primary Angiitis of the Central Nervous System
Neuro-Psychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Non-MS Inflammatory Diseases of the CNS: MR Features in Addition to the White Matter
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
White Matter Changes Secondary to Other Conditions
Viral and Non-Viral Infections in Immuno-competent and Immunocompromised Patients
Neoplastic Disorders
Head Trauma
Psychiatric Disorders.