Cross-sectional and longitudinal assessment of the upper cervical spinal cord in motor neuron disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disease characterized by both upper and lower motor neuron degeneration. While neuroimaging studies of the brain can detect upper motor neuron degeneration, these brain MRI scans also include the upper part of the cervical spinal cord, which offers the possibility to expand the focus also towards lower motor neuron degeneration. Here, we set out to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal disease effects in the upper cervical spinal cord in patients with ALS, progressive muscular atrophy (PMA: primarily lower motor neuron involvement) and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS: primarily upper motor neuron involvement), and their relation to disease severity and grey and white matter brain measurements.

Me

SUBMITTER: van der Burgh HK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6734179 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature