Glymphatic MRI in Clinically Isolated Syndrome
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A PILOT STUDY TO INVESTIGATE GLYMPHATIC SYSTEM ALTERATIONS IN VIVO IN PATIENTS WITH CLINICALLY ISOLATED SYNDROME, USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
IRAS ID
335263
Contact name
Edoardo de Natale
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
The brain possesses a system to get rid of unwanted substances, named Glymphatic System (GS). When this system is faulty, these accumulate, there is local inflammation, and progressive death of the cells. This occurs in neurological diseases including Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s. Inflammation and progressive death of the cells are also present in another neurological disorder, named Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
We think that GS dysfunction plays a role in MS too. We therefore aim to study whether it drives inflammation, and disease progression in MS patients.
We have developed a new way to find signs of alteration of the GS using a scan named Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). We will use it in a pilot study on patients with a condition named Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS), which often represents the very beginning of MS.
As part of this project, that will entirely take place at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust premises, participants will undergo two visits: a screening visit, to collect information about the symptoms and to deem whether it is safe to undergo the study scan; and an MRI scan to study the glymphatic system.
We would then discover that the GS is a new mechanism of disease in CIS, which may associate with the symptoms, or the alterations in the levels of some substances in the blood suggestive of brain cells damage.REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
24/WA/0017
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jan 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion