Multiple Sclerosis Imaging Laboratory
Contact Information
MS Imaging Laboratory
Eric Klawiter, MD, MSc
Charlestown Navy Yard, Building 149
149 13th Street
Charlestown,
MA
02129
Phone: 617-726-7531
Email: klawiter@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
Explore This Lab
Overview
The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Imaging Lab, directed by Eric Klawiter, MD, MSc, focuses on MS clinical research as well as the application and development of new imaging methods to better understand, diagnose and treat MS.
Through the use of novel imaging techniques, we examine changes in structural and functional brain networks in MS in relation to clinical outcomes such as cognition. The overall goal is to integrate novel imaging techniques into therapeutic clinical trials, which our lab is also involved with.
The goals of our research are to:
- Understand the pathology that gives rise to symptoms and cognitive impairment associated with MS
- Develop biomarkers for early diagnosis of MS
- Develop more effective treatments for MS
Our current imaging dataset consists of data from the 3T Connectom scanner and an ultra-high field 7T scanner on patients with MS including:
- Longitudinal structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Longitudinal resting state functional MRI
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
- Advanced diffusion imaging (i.e. Q-ball and axon diameter modeling)
- Neurocognitive testing
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
- Clinical data
We also plan, implement and write customized code to streamline data processing and analysis.
Research Projects
Multi-modal Neuroimaging
The MS Imaging Laboratory is involved in various neuroimaging studies that implement established and novel techniques to examine structural and functional connectivity in relationship to cognitive dysfunction in MS.
Spinal Cord Imaging
We are exploring novel spinal cord imaging techniques in MS and related diseases such as neuromyelitis optica (NMO).
Selected Publications
For a more comprehensive publications list, please visit PubMed.
- Klawiter EC, Ceccarelli A, Arora A, Jackson J, Bakshi S, Kim G, Miller J, Tauhid S, von Gizycki C, Bakshi R, Neema M. Corpus Callosum Atrophy Correlates with Gray Matter Atrophy in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.J Neuroimaging. 2014 May 9. doi: 10.1111/jon.12124. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24816394.
- Klawiter EC. Current and new directions in MRI in multiple sclerosis.Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2013 Aug;19(4 Multiple Sclerosis):1058-73. doi: 10.1212/01.CON.0000433283.00221.37. Review. PubMed PMID: 23917101.
- Naismith RT, Xu J, Klawiter EC, Lancia S, Tutlam NT, Wagner JM, Qian P, Trinkaus K, Song SK, Cross AH. Spinal cord tract diffusion tensor imaging reveals disability substrate in demyelinating diseases.Neurology. 2013 Jun 11;80(24):2201-9. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e318296e8f1. Epub 2013 May 10. PubMed PMID: 23667060; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3721096.
- Alvarez E, Piccio L, Mikesell RJ, Klawiter EC, Parks BJ, Naismith RT, Cross AH. CXCL13 is a biomarker of inflammation in multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, and other neurological conditions.Mult Scler. 2013 Aug;19(9):1204-8. doi: 10.1177/1352458512473362. Epub 2013 Jan 15. PubMed PMID: 23322500; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3959125.
Our Research Team
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- Director, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Unit
Research at Mass General
Every day, our clinicians and scientists chart new terrain in biomedical research to treat and prevent human disease and advance patient care.