Shawna Abel1, Irene Vavasour2, Lisa Eunyoung Lee1, Poljanka Johnson1, Nathalie Ackermans1, Jillian Chan1, Adam Dvorak3, Alice Schabas1, Vanessa Wiggermann4, Roger Tam2, Annie J Kuan5, Sarah A Morrow6, Jeffrey Wilken7, Cornelia Laule8, Alexander Rauscher1, Virender Bhan1, Ana-Luiza Sayao1, Virginia Devonshire1, David Kb Li9, Robert Carruthers1, Anthony Traboulsee1, Shannon H Kolind10. 1. Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 2. Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 4. Department of Physics and Astronomy and Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 5. Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 6. Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. 7. Department of Neurology and Washington Neuropsychology Research Group, Georgetown University Hospital, LLC, Fairfax, VA. 8. Department of Radiology Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Physics & Astronomy and International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 9. Department of Radiology and Medicine (Neurology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 10. Department of Medicine (Neurology), Radiology, Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cognitive impairment is a core symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS). Damage to normal appearing white matter (NAWM) is likely involved. We sought to determine if greater myelin heterogeneity in NAWM is associated with decreased cognitive performance in MS. METHODS: A total of 27 participants with MS and 13 controls matched for age, sex, and education underwent myelin water imaging (MWI) from which the myelin water fraction (MWF) was calculated. Corpus callosum, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and cingulum were chosen as regions of interest (ROIs) a priori based on their involvement in MS-related cognitive impairment. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Pearson ́s product moment correlations were performed to assess relationships between cognitive performance and myelin heterogeneity (variance of MWF within an ROI). RESULTS: In MS, myelin heterogeneity in all three ROIs was significantly associated with performance on the SDMT. These correlations ranged from moderate (r = -.561) to moderately strong (r = -.654) and were highly significant (P values ranged from .001 to .0002). Conversely, myelin heterogeneity was not associated with SDMT performance in controls in any ROI (P > .108). CONCLUSION: Increased myelin heterogeneity in NAWM is associated with decreased cognitive processing speed performance in MS.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Cognitive impairment is a core symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS). Damage to normal appearing white matter (NAWM) is likely involved. We sought to determine if greater myelin heterogeneity in NAWM is associated with decreased cognitive performance in MS. METHODS: A total of 27 participants with MS and 13 controls matched for age, sex, and education underwent myelin water imaging (MWI) from which the myelin water fraction (MWF) was calculated. Corpus callosum, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and cingulum were chosen as regions of interest (ROIs) a priori based on their involvement in MS-related cognitive impairment. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Pearson ́s product moment correlations were performed to assess relationships between cognitive performance and myelin heterogeneity (variance of MWF within an ROI). RESULTS: In MS, myelin heterogeneity in all three ROIs was significantly associated with performance on the SDMT. These correlations ranged from moderate (r = -.561) to moderately strong (r = -.654) and were highly significant (P values ranged from .001 to .0002). Conversely, myelin heterogeneity was not associated with SDMT performance in controls in any ROI (P > .108). CONCLUSION: Increased myelin heterogeneity in NAWM is associated with decreased cognitive processing speed performance in MS.
Authors: Wulin Teo; Andrew V Caprariello; Megan L Morgan; Antonio Luchicchi; Geert J Schenk; Jeffrey T Joseph; Jeroen J G Geurts; Peter K Stys Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2021-02-23 Impact factor: 11.205
Authors: P Johnson; J K Chan; I M Vavasour; S Abel; L E Lee; H Yong; C Laule; Dkb Li; R Tam; A Traboulsee; R L Carruthers; S H Kolind Journal: Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin Date: 2022-02-14
Authors: Pascal Martin; Gisela E Hagberg; Thomas Schultz; Klaus Harzer; Uwe Klose; Benjamin Bender; Thomas Nägele; Klaus Scheffler; Ingeborg Krägeloh-Mann; Samuel Groeschel Journal: Clin Neuroradiol Date: 2020-11-23 Impact factor: 3.649
Authors: Lisa Eunyoung Lee; Irene M Vavasour; Adam Dvorak; Hanwen Liu; Shawna Abel; Poljanka Johnson; Stephen Ristow; Shelly Au; Cornelia Laule; Roger Tam; David Kb Li; Helen Cross; Nathalie Ackermans; Alice J Schabas; Jillian Chan; Ana-Luiza Sayao; Virginia Devonshire; Robert Carruthers; Anthony Traboulsee; Shannon Kolind Journal: Mult Scler Date: 2021-03-22 Impact factor: 6.312