scholarly journals Multiple sclerosis lesions in motor tracts from brain to cervical cord: spatial distribution and correlation with disability

Brain ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (7) ◽  
pp. 2089-2105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Kerbrat ◽  
Charley Gros ◽  
Atef Badji ◽  
Elise Bannier ◽  
Francesca Galassi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Lesion Volume ◽  
Corticospinal Tracts ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Lesion Frequency

Abstract Despite important efforts to solve the clinico-radiological paradox, correlation between lesion load and physical disability in patients with multiple sclerosis remains modest. One hypothesis could be that lesion location in corticospinal tracts plays a key role in explaining motor impairment. In this study, we describe the distribution of lesions along the corticospinal tracts from the cortex to the cervical spinal cord in patients with various disease phenotypes and disability status. We also assess the link between lesion load and location within corticospinal tracts, and disability at baseline and 2-year follow-up. We retrospectively included 290 patients (22 clinically isolated syndrome, 198 relapsing remitting, 39 secondary progressive, 31 primary progressive multiple sclerosis) from eight sites. Lesions were segmented on both brain (T2-FLAIR or T2-weighted) and cervical (axial T2- or T2*-weighted) MRI scans. Data were processed using an automated and publicly available pipeline. Brain, brainstem and spinal cord portions of the corticospinal tracts were identified using probabilistic atlases to measure the lesion volume fraction. Lesion frequency maps were produced for each phenotype and disability scores assessed with Expanded Disability Status Scale score and pyramidal functional system score. Results show that lesions were not homogeneously distributed along the corticospinal tracts, with the highest lesion frequency in the corona radiata and between C2 and C4 vertebral levels. The lesion volume fraction in the corticospinal tracts was higher in secondary and primary progressive patients (mean = 3.6 ± 2.7% and 2.9 ± 2.4%), compared to relapsing-remitting patients (1.6 ± 2.1%, both P < 0.0001). Voxel-wise analyses confirmed that lesion frequency was higher in progressive compared to relapsing-remitting patients, with significant bilateral clusters in the spinal cord corticospinal tracts (P < 0.01). The baseline Expanded Disability Status Scale score was associated with lesion volume fraction within the brain (r = 0.31, P < 0.0001), brainstem (r = 0.45, P < 0.0001) and spinal cord (r = 0.57, P < 0.0001) corticospinal tracts. The spinal cord corticospinal tracts lesion volume fraction remained the strongest factor in the multiple linear regression model, independently from cord atrophy. Baseline spinal cord corticospinal tracts lesion volume fraction was also associated with disability progression at 2-year follow-up (P = 0.003). Our results suggest a cumulative effect of lesions within the corticospinal tracts along the brain, brainstem and spinal cord portions to explain physical disability in multiple sclerosis patients, with a predominant impact of intramedullary lesions.

scholarly journals A Pilot Study of 24-h Motor Activity Patterns in Multiple Sclerosis: Pre-Planned Follow-Up at 2 Years

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-376
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Tonetti ◽  
Federico Camilli ◽  
Sara Giovagnoli ◽  
Vincenzo Natale ◽  
Alessandra Lugaresi
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Motor Activity ◽  
Activity Pattern ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Expanded Disability Status Scale ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Edss Score ◽  
Activity Prognosis

Early multiple sclerosis (MS) predictive markers of disease activity/prognosis have been proposed but are not universally accepted. Aim of this pilot prospective study is to verify whether a peculiar hyperactivity, observed at baseline (T0) in early relapsing-remitting (RR) MS patients, could represent a further prognostic marker. Here we report results collected at T0 and at a 24-month follow-up (T1). Eighteen RRMS patients (11 females, median Expanded Disability Status Scale-EDSS score 1.25, range EDSS score 0–2) were monitored at T0 (mean age 32.33 ± 7.51) and T1 (median EDSS score 1.5, range EDSS score 0–2.5). Patients were grouped into two groups: responders (R, 14 patients) and non-responders (NR, 4 patients) to treatment at T1. Each patient wore an actigraph for one week to record the 24-h motor activity pattern. At T0, NR presented significantly lower motor activity than R between around 9:00 and 13:00. At T1, NR were characterized by significantly lower motor activity than R between around 12:00 and 17:00. Overall, these data suggest that through the 24-h motor activity pattern, we can fairly segregate at T0 patients who will show a therapeutic failure, possibly related to a more active disease, at T1. These patients are characterized by a reduced morning level of motor activation. Further studies on larger populations are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

Prospective study of multiple sclerosis with early onset

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Ghezzi ◽  
C Pozzilli ◽  
M Liguori ◽  
M G Marrosu ◽  
N Milani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
First Year ◽  
Hormonal Changes ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Definite Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Clinically Definite Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Gender

Fifty-four subjects (36 females and 18 males) affected by clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS) and with onset of the disease at 15 years of age or before were prospectively studied in five Italian MS centres. Female/male ratio was 4.7 in subjects with age ≥12 years, suggesting a role of hormonal changes in triggering MS onset. The mean follow-up duration was 10.9-5.6 years. The functional systems more frequently involved at onset were the pyramidal and brainstem (both in 28% of cases). The onset was monosymptomatic in 31 subjects (57%). The course was relapsing-remitting in 39 subjects (72%) and relapsing-progressive in 15 (28%). Disability was assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS): the mean score after 8 years of follow up was 3.5 (-2.5). The score was <4 in 68% of cases, between 4 and 6 in 8% of cases, > 6 in 24% of cases. Disability after 8 years was highly predicted by disability in the first year (p=0.008). There was a tendency to a worse prognosis in relation to the number of relapses in the first 2 years (p=0.08). The outcome was not influenced by the characteristics of symptoms at onset, age and gender.

Increased plasma 8,12-iso-iPF2alpha- VI levels in relapsing multiple sclerosis patients are not predictive of disease progression

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 1092-1098 ◽  
Author(s):  
CE Teunissen ◽  
M Sombekke ◽  
L van Winsen ◽  
J Killestein ◽  
F Barkhof ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Lesion Load ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients ◽  
In Cis

Background: Oxidative stress plays an important role in multiple sclerosis (MS). Isoprostanes are biomarkers for oxidative stress and have been related to neurological disease progression. Objective: To study whether plasma isoprostane levels were related to disease progression in MS. Methods: Plasma levels of 8,12-iso-iPF2alpha-VI were determined in 17 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), 41 relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) patients and 5 primary progressive MS (PPMS) patients and related to MRI and clinical disease parameters. Results: Isoprostane levels were similar in CIS (60.9, interquartile range (IQR): 47.7–77.7 pg/ml) and RRMS patients (65.3, IQR: 51.9–82.8 pg/ml). The plasma levels were lower in PPMS patients (42.5, IQR: 37.1–49.9) pg/ml, p<0.05) compared to CIS and RRMS patients in this cohort, which was not confirmed in a second cohort. Baseline isoprostane levels were not related to clinical progression defined by conversion form CIS to RRMS or change in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) or MS Functional Composite (MSFC) scores during six years of follow-up (CIS + RRMS), nor to change in volume of gadolinium enhancing lesions, T2 lesion load or T1 hypointense lesion load during 2.8 years of follow-up (CIS + RRMS). Conclusion: These results do not support a strong role of 8,12-iso-iPF2alpha-VI in the prediction of disease progression in MS.

Cortico-muscular coherence as an index of fatigue in multiple sclerosis

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Tomasevic ◽  
G Zito ◽  
P Pasqualetti ◽  
MM Filippi ◽  
D Landi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Imaging Features ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Functional Connections ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Connectivity Patterns ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Sensitive Marker

Background: Highly common in multiple sclerosis (MS), fatigue severely impacts patients’ daily lives. Previous findings of altered connectivity patterns led to the hypothesis that the distortion of functional connections within the brain-muscle circuit plays a crucial pathogenic role. Objective: The objective of this paper is to identify markers sensitive to fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Methods: Structural (magnetic resonance imaging with assessment of thalamic volume and cortical thickness of the primary sensorimotor areas) and functional (cortico-muscular coherence (CMC) from simultaneous electroencephalo- and surface electromyographic recordings during a weak handgrip task) measures were used on 20 mildly disabled MS patients (relapsing–remitting course, Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≤ 2) who were recruited in two fatigue-dependent groups according to the Modified Fatigue Index Scale (MFIS) score. Results: The two groups were similar in terms of demographic, clinical and imaging features, as well as task execution accuracy and weariness. In the absence of any fatigue-dependent brain and muscular oscillatory activity alterations, CMC worked at higher frequencies as fatigue increased, explaining 67% of MFIS variance ( p=.002). Conclusion: Brain-muscle functional connectivity emerged as a sensitive marker of phenomena related to the origin of MS fatigue, impacting central-peripheral communication well before the appearance of any impairment in the communicating nodes.

Multiple Sclerosis

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam I. Kaplin ◽  
Katherine A.L. Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Correct Diagnosis ◽  
Axonal Injury ◽  
The United States ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Sensory Impairments ◽  
Neurologic Disability ◽  
The Brain

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by demyelination, axonal injury, inflammation, and gliosis (scarring) and can involve the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. The course of MS is characterized either by episodes of exacerbation separated by periods of relative quiescence (relapsing-remitting) or by relentless progression, but it typically involves insults that are multiphasic and multifocal (ie, disseminated in time and location throughout the neuraxis). By conservative estimates, at least 350,000 individuals in the United States have MS (Anderson et al., 1992). MS is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 years and is twice as common in women as men. In Western societies, MS is second in frequency only to trauma as a cause of neurologic disability in early to middle adulthood. MS can vary from a benign illness with minimal impairment to a rapidly evolving and incapacitating disease requiring profound lifestyle adjustments. The disability is manifest both as physical=sensory impairments and as neuropsychiatric disorders. Although the functional impairment and disability that can occur in MS is a source of distress as it would be in any physically impairing illness, the unpredictable course makes it particularly difficult for many patients to cope. It is more difficult to adapt to acute rather than gradual changes, and MS exacerbations usually start without warning and evolve over days to weeks. Moreover, its unpredictable and variable course can make MS a challenging illness to diagnose, so patients often undergo a frustrating course of multiple evaluations before finally receiving the correct diagnosis. Sometimes an individual’s capacity to adapt is overwhelmed by the stresses with which he is confronted, and he becomes discouraged, bewildered, and overwhelmed. This is a state called demoralization. Demoralization has been defined (Frank and Frank, 1991) as a state of helplessness, hopelessness, confusion, subjective incompetence, isolation, and diminished self-esteem. The subjective experience of demoralization involves feeling incapable of meeting both internal and external expectations, feelings of being trapped and powerless to change or escape, and feelings of being unique and therefore not understood. The combined effect usually leads to frustration, bewilderment, and isolation.

scholarly journals Comparative effectiveness of teriflunomide and dimethyl fumarate

Neurology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (16) ◽  
pp. e1811-e1820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Due Buron ◽  
Thor Ameri Chalmer ◽  
Finn Sellebjerg ◽  
Jette Frederiksen ◽  
Monika Katarzyna Góra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Treatment Efficacy ◽  
Dimethyl Fumarate ◽  
Relapse Free Survival ◽  
Free Survival ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

ObjectiveTo compare on-treatment efficacy and discontinuation outcomes in teriflunomide (TFL) and dimethyl fumarate (DMF) in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in a real-world setting.MethodsWe identified all patients starting TFL or DMF from the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry and compared on-treatment efficacy outcomes between DMF using TFL, adjusted for clinical baseline variables and propensity score-based methods.ResultsWe included 2,236 patients in the study: 1,469 patients on TFL and 767 on DMF. Annualized relapse rates (ARRs) in TFL and DMF were 0.16 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13–0.20) and 0.09 (95% CI 0.07–0.12), respectively. Relapse rate ratio for DMF/TFL was 0.58 (95% CI 0.46–0.73, p < 0.001). DMF had a higher relapse-free survival proportion at 48 months of follow-up (p < 0.05). We observed no difference in Expanded Disability Status Scale score worsening. Discontinuations due to disease breakthrough were 10.2% (95% CI 7.6%–12.8%) and 22.1% (95% CI 19.2%–25.0%) for DMF and TFL, respectively. A subgroup analysis of ARRs in 708 patients with available baseline MRI T2 lesion amount reported similar results after adjustment.ConclusionWe found lower ARR, higher relapse-free survival, and lower incidence of discontinuation due to disease breakthrough on treatment with DMF compared with TFL.Classification of evidenceThis study provides Class II evidence that for patients with RRMS, DMF is more effective in preventing relapses and has lower discontinuation due to disease breakthrough compared with TFL.

scholarly journals Reduced neurite density in the brain and cervical spinal cord in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis: A NODDI study

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 1647-1657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Collorone ◽  
Niamh Cawley ◽  
Francesco Grussu ◽  
Ferran Prados ◽  
Francesca Tona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Cervical Spinal Cord ◽  
Cognitive Disability ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Neurite Density ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Brain And Spinal Cord ◽  
The Brain

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects both brain and spinal cord. However, studies of the neuraxis with advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are rare because of long acquisition times. We investigated neurodegeneration in MS brain and cervical spinal cord using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI). Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate possible alterations, and their clinical relevance, in neurite morphology along the brain and cervical spinal cord of relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) patients. Methods: In total, 28 RRMS patients and 20 healthy controls (HCs) underwent brain and spinal cord NODDI at 3T. Physical and cognitive disability was assessed. Individual maps of orientation dispersion index (ODI) and neurite density index (NDI) in brain and spinal cord were obtained. We examined differences in NODDI measures between groups and the relationships between NODDI metrics and clinical scores using linear regression models adjusted for age, sex and brain tissue volumes or cord cross-sectional area (CSA). Results: Patients showed lower NDI in the brain normal-appearing white matter (WM) and spinal cord WM than HCs. In patients, a lower NDI in the spinal cord WM was associated with higher disability. Conclusion: Reduced neurite density occurs in the neuraxis but, especially when affecting the spinal cord, it may represent a mechanism of disability in MS.

Clinical follow-up of 304 patients with multiple sclerosis three years after mitoxantrone treatment

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Debouverie ◽  
L. Taillandier ◽  
S. Pittion-Vouyovitch ◽  
S. Louis ◽  
H. Vespignani
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Interferon Beta ◽  
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Expanded Disability Status Scale ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Disease Modifying Treatment

The objectives of this study were to assess the benefits of 1) mitoxantrone after three years of follow-up and 2) disease-modifying treatment (DMT) after stopping mitoxantrone. A retrospective analysis was performed on 304 patients with active relapsing-remitting (RR) or progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS) who were treated with mitoxantrone. After mitoxantrone therapy, some patients received DMT (interferon-beta or glatiramer acetate) while others did not. The disease course of the two groups was evaluated by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) before and after mitoxantrone and then every year for three years. The mean EDSS score at starting mitoxantrone and three years after stopping mitoxantrone respectively, were: 3.3 (1.3) and 3.2 (1.7) for the RRMS patients and 5.9 (1.2) and 6.4 (1.4) for the PMS patients. Before starting mitoxantrone, demographic and clinical parameters of predictive disability were not significantly different between patients who received DMT or not. The variation of EDSS between time of stopping mitoxantrone and three years later was significantly different (+0.9 versus +0.3; P=0.03) for patients with RRMS. We found that mitoxantrone treatment induces stable disease up to two years after discontinuation of mitoxantrone therapy. In the third year, patients without DMT deteriorated. Multiple Sclerosis 2007; 13: 626-631. http://msj.sagepub.com

Prospective clinical and electrophysiological follow-up on a multiple sclerosis population treated with interferon beta-1 a

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Feuillet ◽  
J. Pelletier ◽  
L. Suchet ◽  
A. Rico ◽  
A. Ali Cherif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Amplitude Ratio ◽  
Functional Score ◽  
Conduction Time ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Population ◽  
Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Objective To analyse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) variables in a prospective six-month follow-up pilot study on patients suffering from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), satisfying inclusion criteria for interferon (IFN) beta-1a treatment. Background So far, no predictive factors are available as to the course of RRMS treated with IFN beta-1 a. Design/methods Fifteen RRMS patients were studied before (month 0 (M0)) and after IFN beta-1a onset (M3, M6). The parameters analysed were motor functional score (mFS), Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and TMS variables - central motor conduction time (CMCT) and amplitude ratio (AR). Results Four of the six patients with no motor signs at inclusion, subsequently showed signs of pyramidal dysfunction. All had abnormal M0_TMS variables. The number of M0_TMS abnormalities per patient was greatest in the group that showed mFS worsening, and was significantly correlated with M6_EDSS. The M0_CMCT was significantly correlated with M6_EDSS. During follow-up, the number of patients with abnormal TMS variables decreased from 12/15 to 4/15, and the total number of abnormalities decreased from 33.3 to 16.7%. Conclusions TMS variables might be predictive of disease progression. The improvement observed here in the TMS variables may reflect an improvement in MS patients undergoing IFN beta treatment. Multiple Sclerosis 2007; 13: 348-356. http://msj.sagepub.com

Hexosylceramides as intrathecal markers of worsening disability in multiple sclerosis

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1271-1279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Checa ◽  
Mohsen Khademi ◽  
Daniel G Sar ◽  
Jesper Z Haeggström ◽  
Jon O Lundberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Promising Candidate ◽  
Fatty Acid Chain ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass

Background: Sphingolipids are important components of neurons and the myelin sheath whose levels are altered in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objectives: We aimed to determine if cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sphingolipids can be used as markers of MS disease progression. Methods: Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we analysed sphingolipids in CSF from 134 individuals. The MS group included 65 patients divided into 41 relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) and 24 progressive MS (ProgMS). In addition, a group of 13 early MS/clinically isolated syndrome (EarlyMS) and two control groups consisting of 38 individuals with other neurological diseases (OND) and 18 OND with signs of inflammation (iOND) were analysed. A follow-up study included 17 additional RRMS patients sampled at two time points 4.7±1.7 years apart. Results: Levels of sphingomyelin (SM)- and hexosylceramide (HexCer)-derived sphingolipids increased in the CSF of patients with MS independently of the fatty acid chain length in RRMS ( p<0.05). Levels of palmitic acid (16:0)-containing HexCer (HexCer16:0) increased significantly in ProgMS compared with the OND ( p<0.001), iOND ( p<0.05) and EarlyMS ( p<0.01) groups and correlated with Expanded Disability Status Scale in RRMS in both studies ( p=0.048; p=0.027). Conclusion: HexCer16:0 is a promising candidate marker of disease progression in MS, especially in RRMS.

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