White matter tract density index is associated with disability in multiple sclerosis.
Neurobiol Dis
; 198: 106548, 2024 Aug.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38825050
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The association between common neuroradiological markers of multiple sclerosis (MS) and clinical disability is weak. Given that the disability in patients with MS may depend on the underlying structural connectivity of the brain, our study aimed to examine the association between white matter tracts affected by MS and the patients' disability using a new tract density index (TDI).METHOD:
This study included 53 patients diagnosed with MS, examined between 2019 and 2020. Manual lesion segmentation was performed on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images, and the density of white matter tracts encompassing the lesion (i.e., TDI) was calculated. Correlation analysis was employed to assess the association between TDI and disability. Additionally, the relationship between disability, TDI, and lesion-derived network metrics was examined by computing a partial correlation network.RESULTS:
The TDI significantly correlated with the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) (r = 0.30, p = 0.03). Furthermore, the patient's disability is linked solely through TDI to lesion-derived network metrics -a key metric that 'bridges' the gap between the brain lesion and disability.CONCLUSIONS:
In this study, MS lesions encompassing regions with high white matter tract density were associated and linked with severe physical disability. These findings indicate that TDI may be an outcome predictor that may connect radiologic findings to clinical practice.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Substância Branca
/
Esclerose Múltipla
Limite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Neurobiol Dis
Assunto da revista:
NEUROLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article