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Patterns of cortical grey matter thickness reduction in multiple sclerosis
Juichi Fujimori1, Kazuo Fujihara2,3, Mike Wattjes4
1Division of Neurology, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan.
Brain and Behavior
|January 28, 2021
Summary
Cortical thickness reduction in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients primarily involves the temporal lobe, with patterns potentially beginning in the relapsing-remitting phase and accelerating in the progressive phase, particularly in the temporal pole.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Medical research
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease characterized by demyelination and neurodegeneration.
- Cortical gray matter atrophy is a significant contributor to disability in MS patients.
- Understanding patterns of cortical thickness reduction is crucial for tracking disease progression and developing targeted therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct patterns of cortical gray matter thickness reduction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
- To identify specific brain regions most affected by cortical thinning in different MS subtypes.
- To explore the relationship between cortical atrophy patterns and disease severity, duration, and lesion load.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-four MS patients (clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS, progressive MS) and 21 healthy controls (HCs) underwent 1.5 Tesla T1-weighted 3D MRI.
- Brain cortical thickness was measured in 68 regions of interest.
- Hierarchical cluster analysis was employed to identify distinct patterns of cortical thickness reduction.
Main Results:
- MS patients were categorized into three clusters based on cortical thickness patterns.
- Cluster 1 showed minimal thickness reduction compared to HCs, while Clusters 2 and 3 exhibited progressive decreases.
- Temporal lobe cortices (superior and middle temporal, fusiform) showed significant differences among clusters; temporal pole thinning was specific to Cluster 3, associated with higher lesion load and brain volume reduction.
Conclusions:
- Cortical thickness reduction patterns in MS are largely defined by temporal lobe atrophy, potentially initiating during the relapsing-remitting stage.
- Temporal pole thinning may indicate accelerated neurodegeneration, particularly in the progressive phase of MS.
- These findings highlight the importance of temporal lobe structures in MS neurodegeneration and disease progression.
