Urate is closely linked to white matter integrity in multiple system atrophy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
• White matter integrity is compromised in MSA, contributing to clinical disability.
• The role of serum urate in MSA pathogenesis is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between serum urate levels and white matter integrity in MSA.
• To explore the relationship between serum urate, cortical thickness, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures.
• To determine if serum urate levels correlate with clinical disability in MSA.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 75 MSA patients and 42 controls for brain MRI and serum urate measurement.
• Utilized cortical thickness and tract-based spatial statistics analyses.
• Performed path analysis to link serum urate, DTI measures, and UMSARS scores.

Main Results:

• Serum urate positively correlated with FA and negatively with MD in MSA white matter.
• Negative correlation between serum urate and MD was observed in both sexes and the cerebellar subtype.
• Serum urate did not correlate with cortical thickness; MD mediated the association with clinical disability.

Conclusions:

• Serum urate levels are significantly associated with white matter damage in MSA.
• Serum urate may act as a neuroprotective factor against white matter neurodegeneration in MSA.
• Findings highlight the potential role of urate in managing MSA progression.