Association Between Thoracic Spinal Cord Gray Matter Atrophy and Disability in Multiple Sclerosis.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

In multiple sclerosis (MS), upper cervical cord gray matter (GM) atrophy correlates more strongly with disability than does brain or cord white matter (WM) atrophy. The corresponding relationships in the thoracic cord are unknown owing to technical difficulties in assessing GM and WM compartments by conventional magnetic resonance imaging techniques.

Objectives

To investigate the associations between MS disability and disease type with lower thoracic cord GM and WM areas using phase-sensitive inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T, as well as to compare these relationships with those obtained at upper cervical levels.

Design, setting, and participants

Between July 2013 and March 2014, a total of 142 patients with MS (aged 25-75 years; 86 women

SUBMITTER: Schlaeger R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6002864 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature