German scientists at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitaet in Bonn, Germany, may have discovered a method for the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). This would allow for patient treatment to begin earlier than through conventional diagnostic methods. Early treatment is crucial to delay the more debilitating phases of this non-curable disease as long as possible.

MS is nowadays often categorized as an autoimmune disease, where the body's own immune system attacks the nervous system. However, the exact cause of the disease is still undetermined. The chronic and inflammatory disease affects the central nervous system. The symptoms can be debilitating. They range from sensual and visual problems to muscle weakness, speech impairment, impaired mobility, and sometimes even death. The symptoms can occur gradually, but more often in phases. Between phases some of the symptoms may even disappear. However, usually the neurological problems remain permanently. While MS is not curable, there are several treatment methods available to slow down the progression of the disease.

The German researchers used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for their diagnostic quest. This allowed them to detect biochemical changes in the metabolites of the brain. The MS attack on the central nervous system begins with the gradual degeneration of the myelin sheath, which is a fatty layer around the neurons. The neurons carry information signals from the brain to the rest of the body. Without the fatty layer the neurons get damaged and begin to misfire the electric signal. The neurons can even die off due to a chronic inflammatory process that causes the molecules in the brain to shift. One of the substances that can change is N-Acetyl-Aspartat (tNAA). Healthy neurons contain a great amount of tNAA. However, damaged neurons show a significant loss of this particular substance. The tNAA-concentration can be measured through magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

For the purpose of their study, the German Scientists tested 25 patients, who had some neurological problems that could indicate MS, but could also be symptoms of a variety of inflammatory diseases that affect the central nervous system, or even symptoms of stroke. Such symptoms can be sudden vision problems, loss of feeling, or even paralysis. Those symptoms may stay or can disappear. However, with conventional methods it is extremely difficult to diagnose with certainty the presence of MS. For the control group, the scientists chose 20 healthy people.

The scientists measured the tNAA level of all 45 participants in the study. Six months after the measurement was taken, the scientists evaluated the patients to see, whether they had developed further MS symptoms. This was the case for nine patients. The tNAA measurements showed that the tNAA levels for these nine patients at the beginning of the study was about 13% lower compared to the levels of the control group. The remaining sixteen patients also showed lower tNAA levels at the beginning of the study, but only by about 6% compared to the control group.

The scientists concluded a greatly reduced level of tNAA-concentration might be a good indicator that a patient is at high risk of developing further MS symptoms within a short time frame after the first symptoms occurred. To develop more symptoms within six months of the first symptoms indicate a fast progression of the disease. When the first symptoms occur, conventional methods are insufficient to diagnose MS. Especially for the patients with a fast progression of the disease, crucial treatment time is lost. The tNAA-concentration could be a signal to start treatment earlier than usual and to hopefully stop the fast progression of the disease. The German scientists indicate that other values had also changed in the MS-patients, which could further lead to MRS as a valuable detection tool for MS.