FROM JAMA NEUROLOGY
Atrophy of gray matter in the thoracic cords of multiple sclerosis patients can be assessed in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging, and this shows a significant association between the area of gray matter in the lower thoracic cord and disease type and disability, according to a paper published online June 8.
A cross-sectional observational study of 142 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 20 healthy controls, using phase-sensitive inversion recovery MRI, showed that, while patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis had smaller thoracic cord gray matter areas than controls, patients with progressive MS showed even more substantial reductions in thoracic cord gray matter.
Researchers also found an inverse correlation between lower thoracic cord gray matter and Expanded Disability Status Scale score, even after accounting for cervical gray matter area, Dr. Regina Schlaeger and her associates reported in JAMA Neurology.
“Magnetic resonance imaging–based estimations of cord GM [gray matter] that have strong correlations with MS disability may better track the disease process in the context of both clinical trials and longitudinal observational studies,” wrote Dr. Schlaeger of the department of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, and her coauthors (JAMA Neurology 2015 June 8 [doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2015.0993]).
The study was supported by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Conrad H. Hilton Foundation, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship, and the Nancy Davis Foundation. Some authors reported personal fees, committee roles, consultancies, board positions and support from numerous pharmaceutical companies.
cnnews@frontlinemedcom.com
