title: Diffusion tensor and magnetization transfer MR imaging of early-onset multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with the onset of symptoms typically occurring between the age of 20 and 40 years. However, in about 3% to 12% of the cases, the onset of the disease is before 16 years of age. This review summarizes the main results obtained by the application of conventional and non-conventional MRI techniques to the assessment of patients with early-onset MS, which showed that the overall amount of CNS damage in these subjects is mild, compared to that typically detected in the adult-form of the disease. This fits with the notion that an early onset of the disease is associated with a more favourable clinical evolution.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Scientific Institute and University Hospital San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rocca
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Filippi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology*