Plasma cerebrosterol and magnetic resonance imaging measures in multiple sclerosis.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

The concentration in plasma of the brain-specific cholesterol metabolite cerebrosterol has been proposed as a biomarker of neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. It is unknown, however, which pathophysiological process in MS best accounts for variations in plasma cerebrosterol.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

In this study, we related plasma cerebrosterol concentrations in 46 MS patients - 27 with a relapsing-remitting (RR) disease course and 19 with a primary progressive (PP) course - to three conventional magnetic resonance imaging measures: on T(1)-weighted brain scans, volume of gadolinium-enhanced lesions (a marker of active inflammation) and hypointense lesions (a marker of edema or axonal loss) and on T(2)-weighted scans, volume of hyperintense lesions (a marker of disease extent).

RESULTS:

By multiple-regression analysis, we uncovered negative correlations between the cerebrosterol-cholesterol ratio in plasma and both age at sampling (beta=-0.35 and p=0.079 in RRMS; beta=-0.76 and p=0.006 in PPMS) and volume of T(2)-weighted lesions (beta=-0.52 and p=0.078 in RRMS; beta=-0.50 and p=0.247 in PPMS).

CONCLUSION:

We hypothesize that decreases in plasma cerebrosterol may reflect the total spatiotemporal burden of MS-the cumulative effects of its dissemination in space and its duration in time.

• Authors: Virginija Danylaité Karrenbauer, Valerio Leoni, Ee Tuan Lim, Gavin Giovannoni, Gordon T Ingle, Jaume Sastre-Garriga, Alan J Thompson, Waqar Rashid, Gerard Davies, David H Miller, Ingemar Björkhem, Thomas Masterman
• Journal: Clinical neurology and neurosurgery (Clin Neurol Neurosurg) Vol. 108 Issue 5 Pg. 456-60 (Jul 2006) ISSN: 0303-8467 [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 16144738 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Hydroxycholesterols
• 24-hydroxycholesterol
• Cholesterol

Topics

• Adult
• Brain (metabolism, pathology)
• Cholesterol (blood)
• Female
• Humans
• Hydroxycholesterols (blood)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting (blood, pathology)
• Plasma
• Sampling Studies