“In 2012, approximately 400,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with MS, with 10,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Worldwide, MS affects between 1.5 and 2.5 million people." (Davidson, Fallon, Slomski & Cataldo, 2013, p. 2228). With statistics like these many people have encountered individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The purpose of this report is to detail this disease and how MRI is the modality of choice for diagnosis. The disease MS is an autoimmune disease. This means that the body's immune system attacks normal tissues. Immune cells attack and destroy the myelin sheath surrounding neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin is an important component of neurons because it acts as an insulator. Myelin sheaths help electrical signals travel efficiently from the brain to areas of the body and “accelerate transmission and prevent electrical activity in one cell from short-circuiting to another cell” (Davidson et al., 2013, p. 2228). MS attacks these myelin sheaths and disrupts the efficiency of that signal. It can be compared to a radio broadcast. When myelin is functioning properly, a clear transmission can be heard. However, when myelin is attacked and destroyed, transmission is no longer clear. He is confused, so he alters and interrupts the message. When myelin is destroyed it turns into scar tissue called plaque. This plaque will appear as “small round areas of gray neurons without white myelin covering” (Davidson et al., 2013, p. 2228). Causes There is no known reason as to why the body begins to attack its own myelin sheaths. Although much research has been conducted, researchers have not been able to pinpoint a trigger. However, through this research… half of the paper… em, because the cortical bone does not produce a signal in the MRI. This area is often obscured on CT due to beam hardening artifact. The use of gadolinium differentiates better and increases sensitivity in lesion detection. Diffusion-weighted imaging also gives MRI the ability to determine the age of lesions or differentiate acute from chronic ischemic changes (Pierce & Dubose, 2012). In conclusion, MS is a disease that affects many individuals. It can shorten the individual's lifespan, but many treatment options are available to help cope with the symptoms. MRI is an evolving modality as it was introduced in the 1990s and a lot of progress has been made in the last couple of years. MRI is more sensitive than CT in detecting changes in the white matter of the brain. This is why MRI is the modality of choice for diagnosing a case of multiple sclerosis.