Trans-Synaptic Degeneration Following Acute Optic Neuritis in Multiple Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore longitudinal changes in brain volumetric measures and retinal layer thicknesses following acute optic neuritis (AON) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), to investigate the process of trans-synaptic degeneration, and determine its clinical relevance. METHODS: PwMS were recruited within 40 days of AON onset (n = 49), and underwent baseline retinal optical coherence tomography and brain magnetic resonance imaging followed by longitudinal tracking for up to 5 years. A comparator cohort of PwMS without a recent episode of AON were similarly tracked (n = 73). Mixed-effects linear regression models were used. RESULTS: Accelerated atrophy of the occipital gray matter (GM), calcarine GM, and thalamus was seen in the AON cohort, as compared with the non-AON cohort (-0.76% vs -0.22% per year [p = 0.01] for occipital GM, -1.83% vs -0.32% per year [p = 0.008] for calcarine GM, -1.17% vs -0.67% per year [p = 0.02] for thalamus), whereas rates of whole-brain, cortical GM, non-occipital cortical GM atrophy, and T2 lesion accumulation did not differ significantly between the cohorts. In the AON cohort, greater AON-induced reduction in ganglion cell+inner plexiform layer thickness over the first year was associated with faster rates of whole-brain (r = 0.32, p = 0.04), white matter (r = 0.32, p = 0.04), and thalamic (r = 0.36, p = 0.02) atrophy over the study period. Significant relationships were identified between faster atrophy of the subcortical GM and thalamus, with worse visual function outcomes after AON. INTERPRETATION: These results provide in-vivo evidence for anterograde trans-synaptic degeneration following AON in PwMS, and suggest that trans-synaptic degeneration may be related to clinically-relevant visual outcomes. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:76-87.

Association of body mass index with longitudinal rates of retinal atrophy in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Studies evaluating associations between body mass index (BMI) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) measures in multiple sclerosis (MS) are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether elevated BMI is associated with accelerated retinal atrophy. METHODS: In this observational study, 513 MS patients were followed with serial spectral-domain OCT for a median of 4.4 years. Participants were categorized as normal weight (BMI: 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (BMI: 25-29.9 kg/m2), and obese (BMI: ⩾30 kg/m2). Participants with diabetes mellitus or uncontrolled hypertension and eyes with optic neuritis (ON) ⩽6 months prior to baseline OCT or during follow-up were excluded. Statistical analyses were performed with mixed-effects linear regression. RESULTS: Obese patients (n = 146) exhibited accelerated rates of ganglion cell + inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) atrophy relative to normal weight patients (n = 214; -0.57%/year (95% confidence interval (CI): -0.65% to -0.48%) versus -0.42%/year (95% CI: -0.49% to -0.35%); p = 0.012). GCIPL atrophy rate did not differ between overweight (n = 153) and normal weight patients (-0.47%/year vs -0.42%/year; p = 0.41). Each 1 kg/m2 higher BMI was associated with accelerated GCIPL (-0.011%/year; 95% CI: -0.019% to -0.004%; p = 0.003) atrophy. Multivariable analyses accounting for age, sex, race, MS subtype, and ON history did not alter the above findings. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated BMI, in the absence of overt metabolic comorbidities, may be associated with accelerated GCIPL atrophy. Obesity, a modifiable risk factor, may be associated with accelerated neurodegeneration in MS.

Effect of disease-modifying therapies on subcortical gray matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: The effects of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) on region-specific brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS) are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of higher versus lower efficacy DMTs on rates of brain substructure atrophy in MS. METHODS: A non-randomized, observational cohort of people with MS followed with annual brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was evaluated retrospectively. Whole brain, subcortical gray matter (GM), cortical GM, and cerebral white matter (WM) volume fractions were obtained. DMTs were categorized as higher (DMT-H: natalizumab and rituximab) or lower (DMT-L: interferon-beta and glatiramer acetate) efficacy. Follow-up epochs were analyzed if participants had been on a DMT for ⩾6 months prior to baseline and had at least one follow-up MRI while on DMTs in the same category. RESULTS: A total of 86 DMT epochs (DMT-H: n = 32; DMT-L: n = 54) from 78 participants fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. Mean follow-up was 2.4 years. Annualized rates of thalamic (-0.15% vs -0.81%; p = 0.001) and putaminal (-0.27% vs -0.73%; p = 0.001) atrophy were slower during DMT-H compared to DMT-L epochs. These results remained significant in multivariate analyses including demographics, clinical characteristics, and T2 lesion volume. CONCLUSION: DMT-H treatment may be associated with slower rates of subcortical GM atrophy, especially of the thalamus and putamen. Thalamic and putaminal volumes are promising imaging biomarkers in MS.

Alterations in the retinal vasculature occur in multiple sclerosis and exhibit novel correlations with disability and visual function measures.

BACKGROUND: The retinal vasculature may be altered in multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially acting as a biomarker of disease processes. OBJECTIVE: To compare retinal vascular plexus densities in people with MS (PwMS) and healthy controls (HCs), and examine correlations with visual function and global disability. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 111 PwMS (201 eyes) and 50 HCs (97 eyes) underwent optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Macular superficial vascular plexus (SVP) and deep vascular plexus (DVP) densities were quantified, and poor quality images were excluded according to an artifact-rating protocol. RESULTS: Mean SVP density was 24.1% (SD = 5.5) in MS eyes (26.0% (SD = 4.7) in non-optic neuritis (ON) eyes vs. 21.7% (SD = 5.5) in ON eyes, p < 0.001), as compared to 29.2% (SD = 3.3) in HC eyes (p < 0.001 for all MS eyes and multiple sclerosis optic neuritis (MSON) eyes vs. HC eyes, p = 0.03 for MS non-ON eyes vs. HC eyes). DVP density did not differ between groups. In PwMS, lower SVP density was associated with higher levels of disability (expanded disability status scale (EDSS): R2 = 0.26, p = 0.004; multiple sclerosis functional composite (MSFC): R2 = 0.27, p = 0.03) and lower letter acuity scores (100% contrast: R2 = 0.29; 2.5% contrast: R2 = 0.40; 1.25% contrast: R2 = 0.31; p < 0.001 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Retinal SVP density measured by OCTA is reduced across MS eyes, and correlates with visual function, EDSS, and MSFC scores.

Brain and retinal atrophy in African-Americans versus Caucasian-Americans with multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal study.

On average, African Americans with multiple sclerosis demonstrate higher inflammatory disease activity, faster disability accumulation, greater visual dysfunction, more pronounced brain tissue damage and higher lesion volume loads compared to Caucasian Americans with multiple sclerosis. Neurodegeneration is an important component of multiple sclerosis, which in part accounts for the clinical heterogeneity of the disease. Brain atrophy appears to be widespread, although it is becoming increasingly recognized that regional substructure atrophy may be of greater clinical relevance. Patient race (within the limitations of self-identified ancestry) is regarded as an important contributing factor. However, there is a paucity of studies examining differences in neurodegeneration and brain substructure volumes over time in African Americans relative to Caucasian American patients. Optical coherence tomography is a non-invasive and reliable tool for measuring structural retinal changes. Recent studies support its utility for tracking neurodegeneration and disease progression in vivo in multiple sclerosis. Relative to Caucasian Americans, African American patients have been found to have greater retinal structural injury in the inner retinal layers. Increased thickness of the inner nuclear layer and the presence of microcystoid macular pathology at baseline predict clinical and radiological inflammatory activity, although whether race plays a role in these changes has not been investigated. Similarly, assessment of outer retinal changes according to race in multiple sclerosis remains incompletely characterized. Twenty-two African Americans and 60 matched Caucasian Americans with multiple sclerosis were evaluated with brain MRI, and 116 African Americans and 116 matched Caucasian Americans with multiple sclerosis were monitored with optical coherence tomography over a mean duration of 4.5 years. Mixed-effects linear regression models were used in statistical analyses. Grey matter (-0.9%/year versus -0.5%: P =0.02), white matter (-0.7%/year versus -0.3%: P =0.04) and nuclear thalamic (-1.5%/year versus -0.7%/year: P =0.02) atrophy rates were approximately twice as fast in African Americans. African Americans also exhibited higher proportions of microcystoid macular pathology (12.1% versus 0.9%, P =0.001). Retinal nerve fibre layer (-1.1% versus -0.8%: P =0.02) and ganglion cell+ inner plexiform layer (-0.7%/year versus -0.4%/year: P =0.01) atrophy rates were faster in African versus Caucasian Americans. African Americans on average exhibited more rapid neurodegeneration than Caucasian Americans and had significantly faster brain and retinal tissue loss. These results corroborate the more rapid clinical progression reported to occur, in general, in African Americans with multiple sclerosis and support the need for future studies involving African Americans in order to identify individual differences in treatment responses in multiple sclerosis.

Effects of Myopia on Rates of Change in Optical Coherence Tomography Measured Retinal Layer Thicknesses in People with Multiple Sclerosis and Healthy Controls.

PURPOSE: To quantify the associations of myopia with longitudinal changes in retinal layer thicknesses in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and healthy controls (HC). METHODS: A cohort of PwMS and HC with recorded refractive error (RE) prospectively scanned on Cirrus HD-OCT at the Johns Hopkins MS Center was assessed for inclusion. Exclusion criteria included OCT follow-up < 6 months, ocular comorbidities, incidental OCT pathologies, and inadequate scan quality. Eyes were classified as having high myopia (HM) (RE≤ -6 diopters), low myopia (LM) (RE> -6 and ≤ -3 diopters), or no myopia (NM) (RE> -3 and ≤ +2.75). Linear mixed-effects regression models were used in analyses. RESULTS: A total of 213 PwMS (eyes: 67 HM, 98 LM, 207 NM) and 80 HC (eyes: 26 HM, 37 LM, 93 NM) were included. Baseline average ganglion cell/inner plexiform (GCIPL) and peri-papillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thicknesses were lower in MS HM compared with MS NM (diff: -3.2 µm, 95% CI: -5.5 to -0.8, p = 0.008 and -5.3 µm, 95% CI: -9.0 to -1.7, p = 0.004, respectively), and similarly in HC HM, as compared with HC NM. Baseline superior, inferior, and nasal pRNFL thicknesses were lower in HM compared with NM, while temporal pRNFL thickness was higher, both in MS and HC (MS: 7.1 µm, 95% CI: 2.7-11.6, p = 0.002; HC: 4.7 µm, 95% CI: -0.3 to 9.7, p = 0.07). No longitudinal differences in rates of GCIPL change were noted between HM and LM vs. NM, either in MS or HC. CONCLUSION: Cross-sectional differences in average GCIPL and pRNFL thicknesses are commonly seen in people with HM as compared to reference normative values from people with NM and can lead to false attribution of pathology if RE is not taken into account. However, our study suggests that longitudinal changes in average GCIPL thickness in PwMS with myopia are similar in magnitude to PwMS with NM, and therefore are appropriate for monitoring disease-related pathology.

Biomaterial and Therapeutic Approaches for the Manipulation of Macrophage Phenotype in Peripheral and Central Nerve Repair.

Injury to the peripheral or central nervous systems often results in extensive loss of motor and sensory function that can greatly diminish quality of life. In both cases, macrophage infiltration into the injury site plays an integral role in the host tissue inflammatory response. In particular, the temporally related transition of macrophage phenotype between the M1/M2 inflammatory/repair states is critical for successful tissue repair. In recent years, biomaterial implants have emerged as a novel approach to bridge lesion sites and provide a growth-inductive environment for regenerating axons. This has more recently seen these two areas of research increasingly intersecting in the creation of 'immune-modulatory' biomaterials. These synthetic or naturally derived materials are fabricated to drive macrophages towards a pro-repair phenotype. This review considers the macrophage-mediated inflammatory events that occur following nervous tissue injury and outlines the latest developments in biomaterial-based strategies to influence macrophage phenotype and enhance repair.

Modulation of Retinal Atrophy With Rituximab in Multiple Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of rituximab on retinal atrophy in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), we performed serial optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans among a cohort of patients with RRMS on rituximab and compared rates of ganglion cell + inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) atrophy to those observed among age- and sex-matched glatiramer acetate (GA)-and natalizumab-treated patients with RRMS and healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: In this observational study, patients with RRMS treated with a single disease-modifying therapy and HCs were followed with serial OCT for a median duration of 2.8 years. Participants with uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or glaucoma, and eyes with optic neuritis ≤6 months prior to baseline OCT, or during follow-up, were excluded. Statistical analyses were performed using linear mixed-effects regression. RESULTS: During the overall follow-up period, rates of GCIPL atrophy were -0.28 ± 0.11 µm/y among rituximab-treated patients with RRMS (n = 35). This was similar to GA-treated (n = 49; -0.33 ± 0.05 µm/y; p = 0.69) and natalizumab-treated patients (n = 88; -0.17 ± 0.10 µm/y; p = 0.13) and faster than HCs (n = 78; -0.15 ± 0.03 µm/y; p = 0.006). Rituximab-treated patients exhibited 0.55 ± 0.23 µm/y faster rates of GCIPL atrophy during the first 12 months of treatment, relative to afterwards (n = 25; p = 0.02), during which period GCIPL atrophy rates were -0.14 ± 0.13 µm/y. CONCLUSIONS: Retinal atrophy in RRMS is modulated by rituximab. Greater attenuation of retinal atrophy may occur after 12 months of rituximab treatment, following which time GCIPL atrophy rates are similar to those observed among natalizumab-treated patients with RRMS and HCs. Our findings raise the possibility that the neuroprotective therapeutic response with rituximab in RRMS may take up to 12 months, which should be confirmed by larger studies. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class IV evidence on the difference in rate of change of the GCIPL thickness in patients with RRMS comparing rituximab to other disease-modifying therapies.

Association of Spectral-Domain OCT With Long-term Disability Worsening in Multiple Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a retinal spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) assessment at baseline is associated with long-term disability worsening in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), we performed SD-OCT and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) assessments among 132 PwMS at baseline and at a median of 10 years later. METHODS: In this prospective, longitudinal study, participants underwent SD-OCT, EDSS, and visual acuity (VA) assessments at baseline and at follow-up. Statistical analyses were performed using generalized linear regression models, adjusted for age, sex, race, multiple sclerosis (MS) subtype, and baseline disability. We defined clinically meaningful EDSS worsening as an increase of ≥2.0 if baseline EDSS score was <6.0 or an increase of ≥1.0 if baseline EDSS score was ≥6.0. RESULTS: A total of 132 PwMS (mean age 43 years; 106 patients with relapsing-remitting MS) were included in analyses. Median duration of follow-up was 10.4 years. In multivariable models excluding eyes with prior optic neuritis, relative to patients with an average baseline ganglion cell + inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness ≥70 µm (the mean GCIPL thickness of all eyes at baseline), an average baseline GCIPL thickness <70 µm was associated with a 4-fold increased odds of meaningful EDSS worsening (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24-12.70; p = 0.02) and an almost 3-fold increased odds of low-contrast VA worsening (adjusted OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.40-6.13; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Lower baseline GCIPL thickness on SD-OCT is independently associated with long-term disability worsening in MS. Accordingly, SD-OCT at a single time point may help guide therapeutic decision-making among individual PwMS. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class I evidence that lower baseline GCIPL thickness on SD-OCT is independently associated with long-term disability worsening in MS.

Microvascular blood flow velocities measured with a retinal function imager: inter-eye correlations in healthy controls and an exploration in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: The retinal microcirculation has been studied in various diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). However, inter-eye correlations and potential differences of the retinal blood flow velocity (BFV) remain largely unstudied but may be important in guiding eye selection as well as the design and interpretation of studies assessing or utilizing retinal BFV. The primary aim of this study was to determine inter-eye correlations in BFVs in healthy controls (HCs). Since prior studies raise the possibility of reduced BFV in MS eyes, a secondary aim was to compare retinal BFVs between MS eyes, grouped based on optic neuritis (ON) history and HC eyes. METHODS: Macular arteriole and venule BFVs were determined using a retinal function imager (RFI) in both eyes of 20 HCs. One eye from a total of 38 MS patients comprising 13 eyes with ON (MSON) and 25 eyes without ON (MSNON) history were similarly imaged with RFI. RESULTS: OD (right) and OS (left) BFVs were not significantly different in arterioles (OD: 3.95 ± 0.59 mm/s; OS: 4.08 ± 0.60 mm/s, P = 0.10) or venules (OD: 3.11 ± 0.46 mm/s; OS: 3.23 ± 0.52 mm/s, P = 0.06) in HCs. Very strong inter-eye correlations were also found between arteriolar (r = 0.84, P < 0.001) and venular (r = 0.87, P < 0.001) BFVs in HCs. Arteriolar (3.48 ± 0.88 mm/s) and venular (2.75 ± 0.53 mm/s) BFVs in MSNON eyes were significantly lower than in HC eyes (P = 0.009 and P = 0.005, respectively). Similarly, arteriolar (3.59 ± 0.69 mm/s) and venular (2.80 ± 0.45 mm/s) BFVs in MSON eyes were also significantly lower than in HC eyes (P = 0.046 and P = 0.048, respectively). Arteriolar and venular BFVs in MSON and MSNON eyes did not differ from each other (P = 0.42 and P = 0.48, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Inter-eye arteriolar and venular BFVs do not differ significantly in HCs and are strongly correlated. Our findings support prior observations that arteriolar and venular BFVs may be reduced in MS eyes. Moreover, this seems to be the case in both MS eyes with and without a history of ON, raising the possibility of global blood flow alterations in MS. Future larger studies are needed to assess differences in BFVs between MSON and MSNON eyes.