Axonal damage in multiple sclerosis patients with high versus low expanded disability status scale score.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The pathophysiological basis for differences in disability in patients with multiple sclerosis is unclear.

METHODS:

We used magnetic resonance imaging to examine whether differences in disability in cohorts of multiple sclerosis patients with similar T2-weighted lesion volume and disease duration were associated with a more destructive disease process in the more disabled patients.

RESULTS:

The benign and severely disabled groups had similar brain atrophy metrics and similar decreases of the neuronal marker, N-acetylaspartate, in the normal appearing white matter of the cerebrum on magnetic resonance spectroscopy examination in vivo. The severely disabled cohort had more spinal cord atrophy.

CONCLUSION:

The dissociation of spinal cord atrophy and cerebral atrophy between these two groups suggests that the difference between the more benign and more disabled groups cannot be explained by a more aggressive pathological process that is affecting the entire neuroaxis in a homogeneous fashion.

• Authors: Steven D Brass, Sridar Narayanan, Jack P Antel, Yves Lapierre, Louis Collins, Douglas L Arnold
• Journal: The Canadian journal of neurological sciences. Le journal canadien des sciences neurologiques (Can J Neurol Sci) Vol. 31 Issue 2 Pg. 225-8 (May 2004) ISSN: 0317-1671 [Print] England
• PMID: 15198448 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Controlled Clinical Trial, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Aspartic Acid
• N-acetylaspartate

Topics

• Adult
• Aspartic Acid (analogs & derivatives, metabolism)
• Atrophy
• Axons (pathology)
• Biomarkers
• Brain (metabolism, pathology)
• Disability Evaluation
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Matched-Pair Analysis
• Middle Aged
• Multiple Sclerosis (classification, diagnosis, physiopathology)
• Retrospective Studies
• Severity of Illness Index
• Spinal Cord (pathology)