Spinal Cord Diffusion-Tensor Imaging and Motor-evoked Potentials in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Microstructural and Functional Asymmetry

Abstract

DT imaging revealed asymmetric anatomic changes in spinal cord NAWM, which corresponded to asymmetric electrophysiological deficits for both arms and legs, and reflected a specific structure-function relationship in the human spinal cord.

Clinically Feasible Microstructural MRI to Quantify Cervical Spinal Cord Tissue Injury Using DTI, MT, and T2*-Weighted Imaging: Assessment of Normative Data and Reliability

“…In keeping with prior reports, significant relationships were found between age and FA 5,7,8 and MTR, 8 but not CSA. 8,23 However, we also identified univariate relationships between MR imaging metrics and sex, height, weight, and cervical cord length, for which we are not aware of previous reports.…”

“…Specialized pulse sequences and custom hardware have advanced the field but incur costs of increased complexity and acquisition time while creating barriers to portability and clinical adoption. Furthermore, quantitative MR imaging metrics often show wide ranges of normal values and confounding relationships with subject characteristics such as age, [4][5][6][7][8] for which most previous studies have not accounted. 3 Among the most promising SC quantitative MR imaging techniques are DTI and magnetization transfer (MT).…”

“…3 Among the most promising SC quantitative MR imaging techniques are DTI and magnetization transfer (MT). [1][2][3] These provide measures of axonal integrity and myelin quantity that correlate with functional impairment in conditions such as degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) [5][6][7]9 and MS, 3,9 albeit with limited physiologic specificity (eg, fractional anisotropy [FA] reflects both demyelination and axonal injury). 10,11 SC crosssectional area (CSA) computed from high-resolution anatomic images can measure atrophy (eg, in MS) 12 or the degree of SC compression in DCM.…”

Central Motor Pathways in Children With Multiple Sclerosis

“…В недавно проведенном исследовании у взрослых с РС ВЦМП было часто асимметричным с индексом асимметрии 9,5-16%, в зависимости от точки регистра-ции [9]. В нашем исследовании асимметрия ВЦМП на-блюдалась редко, отличия группы контроля от группы РС были незначительными (1 случай в группе контроля и 2 -в группе РС).…”

Changes in normal appearing spinal cord in multiple sclerosis: another brick in the wall

“…However, recent published data showed that DTI changes are asymmetric in the lateral funiculi of the cervical spinal cord, and they correlated with asymmetric electrophysiological deficits for both arms and legs, possibly reflecting some structure-function relationship in the human spinal cord 13 . Future studies, using new developments in MR sequences exploring the non-Gaussian properties of water diffusion in the spinal cord tissue, such as diffusion kurtosis 14 , might add new bricks to the wall that represents the advancement of knowledge about MS, such as the one added in the present issue of Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria.…”