Measurement and clinical effect of grey matter pathology in multiple sclerosis

During the past 10 years, the intense involvement of the grey matter of the CNS in the pathology of multiple sclerosis has become evident. On gross inspection, demyelination in the grey matter is rather inconspicuous, and lesions in the grey matter are mostly undetectable with traditional MRI sequences. However, the results of immunohistochemical studies have shown extensive involvement of grey matter, and researchers have developed and applied new MRI acquisition methods as a result. Imaging techniques specifically developed to visualise grey matter lesions indicate early involvement, and image analysis techniques designed to measure the volume of grey matter show progressive loss. Together, these techniques have shown that grey matter pathology is associated with neurological and neuropsychological disability, and the strength of this association exceeds that related to white matter lesions or whole brain atrophy. By focusing on the latest insights into the in-vivo measurement of grey matter lesions and atrophy, we can assess their clinical effects.