New MRI scans could unlock ALS mysteries and speed up drug discovery
NCT ID NCT03362658
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether advanced MRI techniques can measure brain changes in people with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Researchers will scan 119 participants three times over 8 months to see if these scans can track the disease and help diagnose it earlier. The goal is to create better tools for testing new treatments, which could lead to faster discovery of therapies for ALS.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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119 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
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Oct 2016
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
1. Patients with a diagnosis of motor neuron disease (MND). This includes the diagnoses of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), and progressive muscular atrophy (PMA). 2. Patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with or without motor neuron signs.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with a suspected or confirmed diagnosis as described in Study Populations * For those with a diagnosis of ALS, patients will be considered with an El Escorial classification of suspected, possible, probable, probable lab-supported, and definite ALS. * Patients 18 years of age or older * Healthy controls over the age of 40. * Be able to lie in an MRI machine for approximately 60 minutes Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects with psychiatric/CNS illnesses such as Major Depressive Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar disorder. * Subjects with significant head injury or other neurological disease (stroke, brain tumour). * Subjects ineligible for MRI investigation due to a pacemaker or other metallic foreign body.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Laval University
Québec, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
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McGill University / Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital
Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2B4, Canada
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University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2B7, Canada
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University of Calgary / Heritage Medical Research Clinic
Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4Z6, Canada
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University of Miami
Miami, Florida, United States
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University of Toronto / Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada
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University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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