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Updated: Sep 29, 2025
A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
Published on: November 13, 2016
Prognostic biomarkers in primary progressive multiple sclerosis: Validating and scrutinizing multimodal evoked
M Hardmeier1, R Schlaeger2, A M Lascano3
1Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Objective:
To validate the prognostic value of multimodal evoked potentials (mmEP) in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and to determine the most predictive EP-modalities.
Methods:
Thirty-nine patients with PPMS (expanded disability status scale (EDSS): 2.0-6.5; mean clinical follow-up: 2.8 years) had visual (VEP), upper and lower limb somatosensory (SEP) and motor EP (MEP) at baseline. Quantitative EP-scores for single (qVEP, qSEP, qMEP) and combined modalities were correlated to EDSS and compared to previously published data of 21 PPMS patients. Predictors of EDSS-change were analyzed in pooled data by linear regression.
Results:
Samples were comparable. Except qVEP, all EP-scores were correlated to EDSS at baseline (Rho: 0.45-0.69; p < 0.01) and follow-up (Rho: 0.59-0.80; p < 0.001). Combined EP-modalities significantly predicted EDSS-change (R2adj: 0.24), while EDSS and age did not. Tibial qSEP (R2adj: 0.22) and qMEP (R2adj: 0.26) were the best single modality predictors, outperformed by their combination (R2adj: 0.32).
Conclusions:
Quantitative EP-scores predict up to 32% of EDSS-change over three years. Modalities representing motor and long tract function carry the main prognostic information.
Significance:
Replication of previous results corroborates the use of mmEP as a prognostic biomarker candidate in PPMS.
