Structural changes in spinal cord following optic neuritis: Insights from quantitative spinal MRI.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Spinal Cord Research

Background:

• Optic neuritis (ON) is known to affect brain plasticity.
• Spinal cord involvement in ON remains under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate spinal cord changes in ON patients using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI).
• To explore the association between spinal cord alterations and clinical disability in ON.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 101 ON patients and 41 healthy controls (HC).
• Utilized Magnetization Prepared Rapid Acquisition Gradient-Echo (MP-RAGE) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) for spinal cord MRI.
• Assessed disability with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and cognitive function with the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in spinal cord cross-sectional area (CSA) between ON patients and HCs.
• Increased mean diffusivity (MD) and radial diffusivity (RD) in ON patients compared to HCs.
• Decreased axial diffusivity (AD) in ON patients, positively correlated with PASAT scores.

Conclusions:

• DTI reveals abnormalities in the spinal cord of ON patients.
• Spinal cord DTI provides insights into the pathophysiology and clinical progression of ON.