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Updated: Feb 9, 2026
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ALS - Motor Neuron Disease: Mechanism and Development of New Therapies
Published on: July 29, 2007
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Prefrontal cortical thickness in motor neuron disease
Judith Machts1, Arturo Cardenas-Blanco2, Julio Acosta-Cabronero2
1Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Straße 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
Neuroimage. Clinical
|June 8, 2018
Summary
Motor neuron disease (MND) shows normal prefrontal cortical thickness distribution, but thinning occurs in patients with cognitive deficits. This research clarifies brain changes in MND patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Motor neuron disease (MND) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
- Understanding structural brain changes in MND is crucial for diagnosis and management.
- Previous studies have explored cortical abnormalities in MND, but distribution patterns require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distribution pattern (normal vs. bimodal) of prefrontal cortical thickness in motor neuron disease (MND) patients.
- To compare cortical thickness in MND patients with healthy controls.
- To explore the relationship between cortical thickness and cognitive/behavioral deficits in MND.
Main Methods:
- 158 MND patients and 86 healthy controls underwent structural MRI.
- Cortical thickness was measured using FreeSurfer for prefrontal, premotor, motor, and occipital cortices.
- Data were adjusted for age and sex, and normality of distribution was statistically tested.
Main Results:
- Cortical thickness in all measured regions was normally distributed in both MND patients and controls.
- MND patients showed significant cortical thinning in the right motor cortex (p=0.002).
- Reduced left prefrontal cortical thickness was observed in MND patients with cognitive/behavioral deficits, correlating with general cognitive abilities.
Conclusions:
- Prefrontal cortical thickness in MND is normally distributed but shifted towards thinning in patients with cognitive/behavioral impairment.
- The distribution does not support a bimodal pattern, but comorbid cognitive deficits are linked to prefrontal thinning.
- Cortical thickness in MND is associated with clinical phenotype, disability, and cognitive function.
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