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Regional brain atrophy in children with multiple sclerosis
B Aubert-Broche1, V Fonov, R Ghassemi
1McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Neuroimage
|March 19, 2011
Summary
Pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) patients show reduced brain volume, particularly in the thalamus and corpus callosum. Lesions correlate with splenium volume loss, while optic pathway degeneration links to disease duration.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Pediatric Neurology
- Multiple Sclerosis Research
Background:
- Pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) involves complex neuroinflammatory processes affecting brain structure.
- Accurate volumetric assessment in children requires accounting for age- and sex-related brain development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify regional brain volume differences in pediatric MS patients compared to healthy controls.
- To investigate the relationship between lesion load, disease duration, and specific brain volume changes.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional tensor-based morphometry (TBM) was employed.
- Jacobian determinant normalized for age and sex was used to measure local volume differences.
- Voxel-wise analysis compared pediatric MS patients to age- and sex-matched controls.
Main Results:
- Pediatric MS patients exhibited reduced volumes in the thalamus and splenium of the corpus callosum, alongside ventricular expansion.
- T2-weighted lesion volume correlated with reduced splenium volume but not thalamic volume.
- Optic pathway volumes (tracts and radiations) showed reduced volume correlated with disease duration.
Conclusions:
- Brain volume reduction in specific regions is evident in pediatric MS.
- Focal inflammatory lesions may contribute to degeneration in white matter tracts.
- Optic pathway degeneration is associated with disease duration, suggesting transsynaptic effects.
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