Measuring brain glucose use in MS with FDG-PET
Official title: Novel Assessment of Glucose Consumption in Multiple Sclerosis Utilizing [F-18]FDG-PET
Run by Brigham and Women's Hospital · NCT07087106 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial will test whether FDG-PET scans can detect different patterns of brain glucose use in people with progressive MS, relapsing-remitting MS, and healthy volunteers.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 4 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Ages | 18 Years to 70 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 50 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Brigham and Women's Hospital Academic / other |
| Drugs / interventions | radiation |
| Locations | 1 site (Boston, Massachusetts) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | May 31, 2025 |
| Main results expected | December 31, 2027 |
| Study ends | December 31, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | January 9, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07087106 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults 18–70 with a diagnosis of MS (RRMS, SPMS, or PPMS) who can undergo PET and MRI and provide informed consent, with age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers also eligible.
✕Probably not a fit
People who are pregnant or nursing, have other neurologic or major psychiatric disorders, recent corticosteroid use, claustrophobia, or non‑MRI‑compatible implants are excluded and unlikely to benefit from participation.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a single-center, cross-sectional imaging study using the radiotracer [F-18]FDG PET to measure brain glucose consumption in three groups: progressive MS (SPMS or PPMS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and healthy controls. About 50 participants (20 PMS, 20 RRMS, 10 controls) will undergo FDG-PET and MRI, and results will be compared with MRI lesion load, brain atrophy, blood and serum biomarkers, and clinical measures of disability, cognition, fatigue, and depression. Recruitment is at Brigham & Women's Hospital and includes clinic-based referral and online outreach. The goal is to define metabolic patterns that distinguish MS subtypes and relate to established imaging and clinical measures.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, FDG-PET could reveal metabolic changes in MS that improve how doctors detect and monitor disease progression.
How similar studies have gone: Previous small research using FDG-PET in neuroinflammation and MS has shown promising signals but the method is not yet established for routine clinical use.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 18 to 70 years. 2. Subjects meeting the definition for MS (including SPMS, RRMS or PPMS) by International Panel (2017 McDonald) Criteria. Age and sex-matched healthy controls will also be recruited. 3. Subjects willing to undergo PET and MRI imaging. 4. Subjects willing and able to give informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Individuals with a known alternate neurologic disorder, previous head injury, or substance abuse. 2. Individuals with a known alternate neuropsychiatric disorder, including bipolar disease and schizophrenia. 3. Concurrent medical conditions that contraindicate study procedures 4. Women who are pregnant or nursing. Also, any woman who is seeking to become pregnant or suspects she is pregnant will be excluded from enrollment. 5. Claustrophobia 6. Non-MRI compatible implanted devices. 7. Corticosteroid treatment in the past four weeks.
Where it's running
-
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Tarun Singhal, MD, MBBS — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Nicolas Horan
- Email: nhoran@bwh.harvard.edu
- Phone: 617-264-3044
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.