White-matter lesions drive deep gray-matter atrophy in early multiple sclerosis: support from structural MRI

Muehlau, Mark; Buck, Dorothea; Foerschler, Annette; Boucard, Christine C.; Arsic, Milan; Schmidt, Paul; Gaser, Christian; Berthele, Achim; Hoshi, Muna; Jochim, Angela; Kronsbein, Helena; Zimmer, Claus; Hemmer, Bernhard und Ilg, Rüdiger (Oktober 2013): White-matter lesions drive deep gray-matter atrophy in early multiple sclerosis: support from structural MRI. In: Multiple Sclerosis Journal, Bd. 19, Nr. 11: S. 1485-1492

Abstract

Background: In MS, the relationship between lesions within cerebral white matter (WM) and atrophy within deep gray matter (GM) is unclear. Objective: To investigate the spatial relationship between WM lesions and deep GM atrophy. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study (3 Tesla) in 249 patients with clinically-isolated syndrome or relapsing-remitting MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale score: median, 1.0; range, 0-4) and in 49 healthy controls. Preprocessing of T1-weighted and fluid-attenuated T2-weighted images resulted in normalized GM images and WM lesion probability maps. We performed two voxel-wise analyses: 1. We localized GM atrophy and confirmed that it is most pronounced within deep GM; 2. We searched for a spatial relationship between WM lesions and deep GM atrophy; to this end we analyzed WM lesion probability maps by voxel-wise multiple regression, including four variables derived from maxima of regional deep GM atrophy (caudate and pulvinar, each left and right). Results: Atrophy of each deep GM region was explained by ipsilateral WM lesion probability, in the area most densely connected to the respective deep GM region. Conclusion: We demonstrated that WM lesions and deep GM atrophy are spatially related. Our results are best compatible with the hypothesis that WM lesions contribute to deep GM atrophy through axonal pathology.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Publikationsform: Publisher's Version
• Keywords: Multiple sclerosis; relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; clinically-isolated syndrome; magnetic resonance imaging; voxel-based morphometry; gray-matter atrophy; white-matter lesions; brain damage
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 1352-4585
• Allianz-/Nationallizenz: Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.
• Sprache: Englisch