BACKGROUND: Peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD) is a novel and fully automated, MRI biomarker, which has shown clinical relevance in cerebral small vessel diseases (SVD). We aimed here to assess PSMD levels across the brain of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), in comparison to normal controls (NC) and patients with CADASIL, a genetically defined form of severe SVD. METHODS: We assessed PSMD in relapsing-remitting (RR) MS patients (n = 47) in comparison to age-matched CADASIL patients (n = 25) and NC (n = 28). Diffusion Tensor Imaging data were acquired on 1.5T MR clinical scanner to automatically compute PSMD through "skeletonization" of WM tracts and diffusion histograms. RESULTS: RRMS had lower WM lesion volume (LV) than CADASIL (8.6 ± 8.2 vs 24.4 ± 17.4 cm3, p < 0.001). After correction for LV, PSMD values in MS were higher than in CADASIL patients (adjusted mean values: 4.5 vs 3.9 × 10-4 mm2/s, p = 0.03) and in both patient groups were higher than in NC (2.8 ± 0.3 × 10-4 mm2/s, p < 0.001). PSMD values correlated with LV in both patient groups (r = 0.8, p < 0.001 in MS; r = 0.6, p = 0.002 in CADASIL). CONCLUSIONS: In both patient groups, PSMD was higher than in NC and closely correlated with LV, suggesting sensitivity in assessing brain tissue damage in these disorders. In MS patients, PSMD levels were higher than in CADASIL patients, despite the lower LV. This might be related to more severe normal-appearing WM abnormalities occurring in the MS brains. This novel, fully automated, MRI metric may represent a useful marker for a robust quantification of the diffuse WM tissue damage in MS.
BACKGROUND: Peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD) is a novel and fully automated, MRI biomarker, which has shown clinical relevance in cerebral small vessel diseases (SVD). We aimed here to assess PSMD levels across the brain of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), in comparison to normal controls (NC) and patients with CADASIL, a genetically defined form of severe SVD. METHODS: We assessed PSMD in relapsing-remitting (RR) MS patients (n = 47) in comparison to age-matched CADASIL patients (n = 25) and NC (n = 28). Diffusion Tensor Imaging data were acquired on 1.5T MR clinical scanner to automatically compute PSMD through "skeletonization" of WM tracts and diffusion histograms. RESULTS: RRMS had lower WM lesion volume (LV) than CADASIL (8.6 ± 8.2 vs 24.4 ± 17.4 cm3, p < 0.001). After correction for LV, PSMD values in MS were higher than in CADASIL patients (adjusted mean values: 4.5 vs 3.9 × 10-4 mm2/s, p = 0.03) and in both patient groups were higher than in NC (2.8 ± 0.3 × 10-4 mm2/s, p < 0.001). PSMD values correlated with LV in both patient groups (r = 0.8, p < 0.001 in MS; r = 0.6, p = 0.002 in CADASIL). CONCLUSIONS: In both patient groups, PSMD was higher than in NC and closely correlated with LV, suggesting sensitivity in assessing brain tissue damage in these disorders. In MS patients, PSMD levels were higher than in CADASIL patients, despite the lower LV. This might be related to more severe normal-appearing WM abnormalities occurring in the MS brains. This novel, fully automated, MRI metric may represent a useful marker for a robust quantification of the diffuse WM tissue damage in MS.
Authors: Ana R Fouto; Rita G Nunes; Joana Pinto; Luísa Alves; Sofia Calado; Carina Gonçalves; Margarida Rebolo; Miguel Viana-Baptista; Pedro Vilela; Patrícia Figueiredo Journal: MAGMA Date: 2022-01-08 Impact factor: 2.533
Authors: Cristina Granziera; Jens Wuerfel; Frederik Barkhof; Massimiliano Calabrese; Nicola De Stefano; Christian Enzinger; Nikos Evangelou; Massimo Filippi; Jeroen J G Geurts; Daniel S Reich; Maria A Rocca; Stefan Ropele; Àlex Rovira; Pascal Sati; Ahmed T Toosy; Hugo Vrenken; Claudia A M Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott; Ludwig Kappos Journal: Brain Date: 2021-06-22 Impact factor: 13.501
Authors: Cheryl R McCreary; Andrew E Beaudin; Arsenije Subotic; Angela M Zwiers; Ana Alvarez; Anna Charlton; Bradley G Goodyear; Richard Frayne; Eric E Smith Journal: Neuroimage Clin Date: 2020-05-26 Impact factor: 4.881
Authors: Ian J Deary; Stuart J Ritchie; Susana Muñoz Maniega; Simon R Cox; Maria C Valdés Hernández; Michelle Luciano; John M Starr; Joanna M Wardlaw; Mark E Bastin Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2019-07-26 Impact factor: 4.157
Authors: Manuel Blesa; Paola Galdi; Gemma Sullivan; Emily N Wheater; David Q Stoye; Gillian J Lamb; Alan J Quigley; Michael J Thrippleton; Mark E Bastin; James P Boardman Journal: Front Neurol Date: 2020-04-03 Impact factor: 4.003
Authors: Audrey Low; Elijah Mak; James D Stefaniak; Maura Malpetti; Nicolas Nicastro; George Savulich; Leonidas Chouliaras; Hugh S Markus; James B Rowe; John T O'Brien Journal: Front Neurosci Date: 2020-03-19 Impact factor: 4.677