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Age-related brain parenchymal fraction is significantly decreased in young multiple sclerosis patients: a

Jan Kassubek1, Hayrettin Tumani, Daniel Ecker

  • 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.

Neuroreport
|March 14, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients show significant brain atrophy, even in early stages. Brain parenchymal fraction (BPF) measured by MRI can serve as a biological marker for monitoring MS progression.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Radiology
  • Biomarkers

Background:

  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease characterized by progressive disability.
  • Brain atrophy is a recognized feature of MS, but its early detection and quantification are crucial for monitoring disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the extent of brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients compared to healthy controls.
  • To investigate the utility of brain parenchymal fraction (BPF) as a biomarker for early MS detection and monitoring.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized 3D MRI to calculate brain parenchymal fraction (BPF), the ratio of brain parenchymal to intracranial volume.
  • Compared BPF values in 33 MS patients and 60 healthy subjects across various age groups.
  • Assessed correlations between BPF, age, disease duration, disease severity, and MS lesion load.

Main Results:

  • Significantly lower BPF values were observed in MS patients compared to age-matched healthy controls, particularly in younger age groups (20-49 years).
  • BPF showed significant correlation with disease duration and severity in MS patients.
  • No significant correlation was found between BPF and the number of detectable MS lesions.

Conclusions:

  • Age-related BPF determination reveals significant brain atrophy in early stages of MS.
  • BPF is a valuable biological marker for assessing and monitoring brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis.

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