Magnetic resonance imaging plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of multiple sclerosis. Currently available magnetic resonance-techniques only partly reflect the extent of tissue inflammation and damage. In the present study, application of the experimental magnetic resonance-contrast agent Gadofluorine M significantly increased the sensitivity of lesion detection in myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model for multiple sclerosis. Gadofluorine M-enhancement on T(1)-weighted (T(1)-w) images utilizing a clinical 1.5 T magnetic resonance unit showed numerous lesions in optic nerve, spinal cord and brain, the majority of which were not detectable on standard T(2)-weighted (T(2)-w) and Gd-DTPA enhanced T(1)-w sequences. Quantitative assessment by pixel counts revealed highly significant differences in sensitivity in favour of Gadofluorine M. Gadofluorine uptake closely corresponded to inflammation and demyelination on tissue sections. These unique features of Gadofluorine M in visualizing inflammatory CNS lesions hold promise for future clinical development in multiple sclerosis.