This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1352458509103176v1 15/6/687    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Furby, J Articles by Kapoor, R Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Furby, J Articles by Kapoor, R Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Different white matter lesion characteristics correlate with distinct grey matter abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

Department of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UKj.furby{at}ion.ucl.ac.uk

T Hayton

Department of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK

D Altmann

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

R Brenner

Department of Neurology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK

J Chataway

National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK

KJ Smith

Department of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK

DH Miller

Department of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK

R Kapoor

Department of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK

Background

Although MRI measures of grey matter abnormality correlate with clinical disability in multiple sclerosis, it is uncertain whether grey matter abnormality measured on MRI is entirely due to a primary grey matter process or whether it is partly related to disease in the white matter.

Methods

To explore potential mechanisms of grey matter damage we assessed the relationship of white matter T2 lesion volume, T1 lesion volume, and mean lesion magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR), with MRI measures of tissue atrophy and MTR in the grey matter in 117 subjects with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Results

Grey matter fraction and mean grey matter MTR were strongly associated with lesion volumes and lesion MTR mean (r = ±0.63–0.72). In contrast, only weak to moderate correlations existed between white matter and lesion measures. In a stepwise regression model, T1 lesion volume was the only independent lesion correlate of grey matter fraction and accounted for 52% of the variance. Lesion MTR mean and T2 lesion volume were independent correlates of mean grey matter MTR, accounting for 57% of the variance.

Conclusions

Axonal transection within lesions with secondary degeneration into the grey matter may explain the relationship between T1 lesions and grey matter fraction. A parallel accumulation of demyelinating lesions in white and grey matter may contribute to the association of T2 lesion volume and lesion MTR with grey matter MTR.

Key Words: atrophy • grey matter • lesions • magnetic resonance imaging • magnetization transfer ratio • multiple sclerosis

This version was published on June 1, 2009

Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 15, No. 6, 687-694 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1352458509103176


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?