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MS mystery unraveled: brain scans meet autopsy in landmark study

NCT ID NCT02659956

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study follows 250 adults with multiple sclerosis (or similar conditions) for years, using yearly MRI scans and other tests to track brain and spinal cord changes. After a participant passes away, researchers examine donated brain and spinal cord tissue to see how the MRI findings match actual damage. The goal is to better understand how MS progresses and to improve future diagnosis and treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If successful, this study could reveal how MS damages the brain and spinal cord over time, pointing toward better ways to track and treat the disease.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It requires participants to agree to autopsy, which may limit enrollment. Results may take many years to emerge.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 250 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Apr 2016

Expected to finish

Feb 2080

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A government research agency

The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Primary clinical

Ages

18 to 120 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

* INCLUSION CRITERIA: * Diagnosis of MS according to consensus criteria at the time of enrollment OR diagnosis of a disease that shares clinical, imaging, or biological features with MS OR individuals without known CNS disease. * Age greater than or equal to 18. * Able to participate in study procedures and provide high-quality clinical research data (for example, prior MRI scans show ability to tolerate the MRI scan with minimal motion artifact). * Willing to return to NIH for follow-up visits approximately annually (or every 5 years for non-CNS controls) until the time of autopsy. Note: participants who become too sick to return to NIH will not be removed from the study. * Willing to undergo autopsy with donation of at least the brain, spinal cord, and retinas. * Able to provide informed consent at the time of initial study enrollment and willing to appoint a Durable Power of Attorney (DPA) if an advanced directive is not already in place. * Except for non-CNS controls, simultaneously participating in another screening or natural history protocol within the NINDS Neuroimmunology Clinic at the time of study entry. * Eligible NIH employees and staff may participate. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Unwilling to allow sharing and/or use in future studies of coded samples and data that are collected for this study.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

multiple sclerosis

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Multiple sclerosis

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

    RECRUITING

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

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