Imaging of remyelination

Now that the concept of remyelination is gaining acceptance in MS, there is a need for a paraclinical marker to monitor remyelination in MS, for example to study the effect of therapeutical interventions. At present there is no known imaging marker for remyelination. While positron emission tomography (PET) has ample sensitivity and specificity, on appropriate tracer is locking and spatial resolution is poor. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has superior sensitivity and spatial resolution, but the standard techniques lock specificity. Conventional R-weighted images will most probably still appear abnormal in an area of remyelination. Among several newer MR techniques that ore more specific, magnetization transfer contrast is the best candidate with regards to imaging remyelination. There is a strong need for on appropriate animal model and for histopathological confirmation to be able to further develop both PET and MR.