Cortical fractal dimension predicts disability worsening in Multiple Sclerosis patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fractal geometry measures the morphology of the brain and detects CNS damage. We aimed to assess the longitudinal changes on brain's fractal geometry and its predictive value for disease worsening in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Methods

We prospectively analyzed 146 consecutive patients with relapsing-remitting MS with up to 5 years of clinical and brain MRI (3 T) assessments. The fractal dimension and lacunarity were calculated for brain regions using box-counting methods. Longitudinal changes were analyzed in mixed-effect models and the risk of disability accumulation were assessed using Cox Proportional Hazard regression analysis.

Results

There was a significant decrease in the fractal dimension and increases of lacunarity in different brain re

SUBMITTER: Roura E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8045041 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature