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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Comprehensive Autopsy Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis
Published on: July 19, 2019
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals central neuroaxonal impairment in systemic sclerosis
Luca Bertinotti1, Marzia Mortilla, Maria Letizia Conforti
1Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Pheumatology, AOUC, University of Florence, Italy.
Objective:
. Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is rare. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) assesses in vivo cerebral metabolites. We investigated the biochemical modifications of the CNS in SSc.
Methods:
N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio (NAA/Cr) and choline/creatine ratio (Cho/Cr) at right centrum semiovale (RCS) and at right basal ganglia (RBG) were evaluated by 1H-MRS in 12 patients with limited (lSSc) and 8 patients with diffuse SSc (dSSc) and 20 control subjects.
Results:
With 1H-MRS, a significant reduction of NAA/Cr ratio at RBG (p < 0.02) and at RCS (p < 0.002) was detected in SSc patients. Cho/Cr ratio was increased (p < 0.02) in the RCS, but not in RBG. In patients with lSSc, a significant reduction of NAA/Cr was detected in RCS but not in RBG.
Conclusion:
Evidence of neuroaxonal damage strongly suggests the existence of CNS involvement in SSc.
