‘My Multiple Sclerosis Was Caught a Decade Early Thanks to a Groundbreaking New Study'

Can catching brain diseases earlier lead to better treatment? It's the central question in a new landmark study being conducted by Cleveland Clinic, a mission to understand why millions of people around the world suffer from brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.

The largest study ever for brain disease, the study started in November 2024 and will collect data from up to 20,000 people with no known brain diseases over 20 years. Currently, 4,683 people are enrolled in the study and it is currently accepting more participants.

Dr. Imad Najm, MD, the director of Cleveland Clinic's Epilepsy Center at the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute and who is heading the study, tells Parade that, currently, when someone is diagnosed with a neurological disorder, there is no cure. But if neurological diseases can be identified earlier, this can lead to the development of more targeted drugs, which will do a better job of stopping the disease from progressing.

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"We have to make a paradigm shift for how we treat neurological diseases," Dr. Najm says. "As an academic hospital, our job is to understand why and how [diseases happen] and then let experts all over the world and industry develop treatments for the targets we have identified."

Rob Wetzler, a 53-year-old photographer in Ohio, is one of the people currently enrolled in the study. For him, participating led to a life-altering diagnosis.

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What the Study Entails

To be eligible to participate in the study, you must be at least 50 years old and have no known neurological diseases. Participants will be part of the study for 20 years. Dr. Najm says that in odd-numbered years (for example, the first, third and fifth years of the study), participants undergo a full assessment that takes roughly two days to complete.

"The assessment entails a retina scan, MRI of the brain, sleep and EEG brainwave study, blood and stool tests, a smell test, hearing test, speech test and neurocognitive testing," he explains.

In even-numbered years (such as the second, fourth and sixth years of the study), Dr. Najm says that many of these tests are repeated, but not all, so it's a shorter stay. The key, he explains, is to collect as much information as possible because the more data is collected, the more researchers have to look back and identify what may turn out to be early symptoms of a neurological disease. For example, loss of taste and constipation are two very early symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Inevitably, some of the participants will be diagnosed with a neurological condition during the 20-year study. Already, 19 people have been diagnosed with dementia and 16 people with Parkinson's disease. Dr. Najm says that study participants have the option of finding out if they have a neurological disease or not.

"Some people want to participate in the study because they know this type of research is needed and will help generations to come. They are not participating for their own health benefit," he explains.

For those who do want to find out if they have a neurological disease and end up being diagnosed with one, Dr. Najm says that they are given all their testing results from the study to share with their primary care physician.

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One Participant's Experience, Which Led to a Surprising Diagnosis

Wetzler, a 53-year-old photographer living in Ohio, decided to participate in the study after hearing about it from his sister Margaret Wetzler, who he works with and lives near. Margaret says she heard about the study through an ad on Facebook in 2022, explaining, "I have three friends, one of whom has died, from multiple sclerosis [MS], so I thought the study sounded fascinating and really important."

Margaret also saw it as an opportunity to learn about her own health in a way she wouldn't be able to otherwise. The type of testing the participants undergo as part of the study wouldn't be ordered by a doctor without there being a reason, and even if there was a reason, it could be very expensive. As a participant, she could do it for free.

When Margaret told Robert about the study, he decided to do it too and joined the study in June 2025. For Margaret, participating in the study has not led to any new insights about her health. But Robert had a different experience. A couple of months after his testing appointment, one of the lead researchers called Robert and said that a full brain MRI showed lesions that looked like MS. A follow-up MRI confirmed the news and Robert was diagnosed with MS.

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Processing the News

The news came as a shock. The only symptom he had been experiencing was fatigue, which he chalked up to getting older or perhaps sleep apnea. "The follow-up MRI showed scar tissue lesions on my brain stem. That's why I was so tired. My body had been fighting it off," Robert says. Since he didn't have any other symptoms, his doctor told him that he likely wouldn't have been diagnosed for another seven to 10 years, if it weren't for being part of the study.

There is no cure for MS, but there are medications to help manage the symptoms. Robert's treatment entails getting an IV infusion twice a year, and he had his first one last month.

Robert says that, for him, learning about his diagnosis earlier than he would have otherwise has been a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he tells Parade, learning he has a neurological condition with no cure has been really hard to process; part of him wishes he were still searching for a reason for his fatigue instead of knowing the cause.

On the other hand, knowing earlier that he has MS has allowed for more time to manage it as best as he can. He says his diagnosis has also inspired him to think more about what he eats and drinks, knowing it impacts his brain and body. He has stopped drinking alcohol completely and has cut back on sugar for this reason.

Despite their different experiences with the study, both Margaret and Robert believe fully in the mission and hope it leads to better treatment for neurological disorders in the future. "So many great people are entering this field of study to help, and positive steps are being made in leaps and bounds," Robert says. "They want to be part of the celebration of being closer to a cure or getting closer to better treatments. And that's really exciting."

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Sources:

• Cleveland Clinic Brain Study. Cleveland Clinic.
• Dr. Imad Najm, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Epilepsy Center at the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute.
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Cleveland Clinic.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 11:25 AM.