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Published on: December 28, 2014
Gray Matter Involvement in Radiologically Isolated Syndrome.
Andrés Labiano-Fontcuberta1, Virginia Mato-Abad, Juan Álvarez-Linera
1From the Department of Neurology, University Hospital "12 de Octubre" (AL-F, AD-S, JB-L); Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Biomedical Technology, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles (VM-A, JAH-T); Department of Radiology, Hospital Ruber International (JA-L); Department of Neurology, University Hospital "Gregorio Marañón," Madrid, Spain (MLM-G); Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Getafe, Getafe (YA); Department of Neurology, University Hospital "Principe de Asturias," Alcalá de Henares (LA); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED) (JB-L); and Department of Medicine, Complutense University (JB-L), Madrid, Spain.
Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) patients exhibit gray matter volume loss and cortical thinning, suggesting these changes are key indicators beyond white matter lesions. Further research is needed to understand RIS progression.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) is identified by brain white matter lesions on MRI in asymptomatic individuals.
- The underlying pathophysiology of RIS and potential gray matter involvement remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cortical and deep gray matter changes in RIS patients using advanced MRI techniques.
- To compare gray matter alterations in RIS patients with those in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- A multimodal 3 Tesla MRI approach was employed.
- Seventeen RIS patients, 17 CIS patients, and 17 healthy controls underwent MRI and neuropsychological testing.
- FreeSurfer and SPM8 software were used for volumetric and morphometric analyses, including cortical thickness and diffusion tensor imaging.
Main Results:
- RIS patients demonstrated significantly reduced normalized cortical volume and mean thalamic volume compared to healthy controls.
- Significant cortical thinning was observed in frontal and temporal lobes of RIS patients.
- Strong correlations were found between white matter lesion volume and regional cortical thickness.
Conclusions:
- Gray matter alterations, including volume loss and cortical thinning, are present in RIS, indicating they are not solely characterized by white matter lesions.
- These findings highlight the importance of investigating gray matter changes in RIS.
- Longitudinal studies with larger cohorts are recommended to further elucidate the impact of RIS on gray matter.
