Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 6, 2025
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
Thalamic Nuclei Volumes and Their Relationships to Neuroperformance in Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional
Niels Bergsland1,2, Ralph H B Benedict3, Michael G Dwyer1
1Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA.
Background:
Although reduced thalamic volume is associated with multiple sclerosis (MS)-related clinical impairment, the role of individual thalamic nuclei remains poorly understood.
Purpose/Hypothesis:
To test whether individual thalamic nuclei volumes are more strongly associated with clinical disability than the whole thalamic volume.
Study Type:
Retrospective analysis of a prospective dataset.
Subjects:
A total of 108 MS patients and 48 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) FIELD STRENGTH: 3T.
Sequences:
3D T1 -weighted inversion recovery spoiled gradient echo; 2D T2 -weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery spin echo; 2D dual-echo proton density-weighted/T2 -weighted spin echo.
Assessments:
Clinical assessments included the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT), Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMTR), and the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT2). FreeSurfer provided anterior, intralaminar, lateral, medial, ventral, posterior, and total volumes.
Statistical Tests:
False discovery rate-corrected partial correlations (controlling for age, sex, and education) to assess the relationships between volumes and neuroperformance.
Results:
Compared to HCs, MS patients presented with lower thalamic nuclei volumes (P < 0.05) except for the intralaminar nucleus (P = 0.279) and scored worse on all neuroperformance scales (P ≤ 0.05) except for CVLT2 (P = 0.151). All nuclei except intralaminar were associated with EDSS (correlation coefficient range: -0.233 to -0.395), SDMT (range: 0.247-0.423), and 9HPT (range: -0.232 to -0.303) (all P < 0.05). BVMTR was associated with anterior (r = 0.319), lateral (r = 0.31), and medial (r = 0.304) volumes (all P < 0.05). T25FW correlated with ventral (r = -0.392) and total (r = -0.309) volumes (both P < 0.05), with the latter being significantly greater (P < 0.05).
Data Conclusion:
Assessing individual nuclei volume can aid in unraveling the relationship between thalamic pathology and disparate aspects of MS-related disability.
Level Of Evidence:
2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 2.
