ISMRM SCIENTIFIC WORKSHOP ~ 26-28 June 2013
 

Multiple Sclerosis as a Whole-Brain Disease
 London, England, UK
 

OVERVIEW

The workshop will focus on multiple sclerosis (MS). The central theme is how to use MRI to characterise and model a disease that affects the entire CNS in a unique way (white matter & grey matter, causing demyelination & damage of various cell types over and above oligodendrocytes and affecting not only the brain, but also the optic nerves and the spinal cord).

As an ISMRM workshop, the majority of the program will focus on MRI and its use to accurately detect and quantify changes in the CNS of people with MS with an emphasis on the ‘whole brain perspective’. Under this headline, contributions on advanced image analysis as well as multimodal quantitative MR, will be of particular – though by no means exclusive – interest.

A better understanding of how MS causes symptoms and chronic disability will benefit from an approach linking information from MRI with other sources such as pathology, immunology, genetics and infectious diseases. Thus, the workshop will also explore where MRI would be best placed to help further elucidate MS pathogenesis.

The workshop will feature invited presentations, proffered papers, a poster session, a debate, and one keynote lecture. A Young Investigator Award for students and early post-doctoral researchers will be awarded based on the quality of the presented work and presentation.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE
Physicians and neurologists with an interest in multiple sclerosis (MS) and related diseases. Scientists and medical professionals with an interest in quantitative MR methods applied to study CNS diseases. MR Physicists will be interested in cutting edge modalities to elucidate a disease, while computer scientists will be interested in multi-modal and image analysis methods applied to the complex pathology of MS.
 

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:
  • Understand the role of MRI in an inter‐disciplinary environment to explore disease pathogenesis;
  • Recognize multiple sclerosis as a disease affecting the entire central nervous system and its associated symptoms;
  • Assess the role of quantitative MRI in cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies;
  • Demonstrate insight into the a large variety of imaging methodologies;
  • Illustrate the specificity (and limitations thereof) of quantitative MRI techniques for pathological substrates;
  • Select appropriate image analysis tools, especially when dealing with multi‐modal analysis; and
  • Develop a critical view of the field and where the future leads.