Grey matter damage in progressive multiple sclerosis versus amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a voxel-based morphometry...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Radiology

Background:

• Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) share clinical and pathological similarities.
• Grey matter (GM) atrophy is observed in both PPMS and ALS, but comparative data are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare regional grey matter (GM) tissue loss patterns in PPMS and ALS using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

Main Methods:

• Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis was conducted on MRI scans of 18 PPMS patients, 20 ALS patients, and 31 healthy controls (HC).
• Volumetric GM differences were assessed with age and sex as covariates.
• Threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE) and family-wise error (FWE) correction were applied for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• ALS patients exhibited GM reduction in specific frontal and temporal regions compared to HC.
• PPMS patients displayed widespread bilateral GM volume decrease, affecting both deep and cortical areas.
• PPMS patients showed greater deep and cortical GM volume reduction compared to ALS patients.

Conclusions:

• PPMS is characterized by more diffuse cortical and subcortical GM atrophy than ALS.
• Brain damage in ALS extends beyond the motor system.
• Shared pathological features may underlie GM tissue loss in both PPMS and ALS.