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Cacciaguerra L, Rocca MA, Filippi M. Understanding the Pathophysiology and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders. Korean J Radiol 2023; 24:1260-1283. [PMID: 38016685 DOI: 10.3348/kjr.2023.0360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been extensively applied in the study of multiple sclerosis (MS), substantially contributing to diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and disease monitoring. MRI studies have significantly contributed to the understanding of MS through the characterization of typical radiological features and their clinical or prognostic implications using conventional MRI pulse sequences and further with the application of advanced imaging techniques sensitive to microstructural damage. Interpretation of results has often been validated by MRI-pathology studies. However, the application of MRI techniques in the study of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) remains an emerging field, and MRI studies have focused on radiological correlates of NMOSD and its pathophysiology to aid in diagnosis, improve monitoring, and identify relevant prognostic factors. In this review, we discuss the main contributions of MRI to the understanding of MS and NMOSD, focusing on the most novel discoveries to clarify differences in the pathophysiology of focal inflammation initiation and perpetuation, involvement of normal-appearing tissue, potential entry routes of pathogenic elements into the CNS, and existence of primary or secondary mechanisms of neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Cacciaguerra
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Maria A Rocca
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
- Neurophysiology Service, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy.
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Collorone S, Foster MA, Toosy AT. Advanced central nervous system imaging biomarkers in radiologically isolated syndrome: a mini review. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1172807. [PMID: 37273705 PMCID: PMC10235479 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1172807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Radiologically isolated syndrome is characterised by central nervous system white-matter hyperintensities highly suggestive of multiple sclerosis in individuals without a neurological history of clinical demyelinating episodes. It probably represents the pre-symptomatic phase of clinical multiple sclerosis but is poorly understood. This mini review summarises our current knowledge regarding advanced imaging techniques in radiologically isolated syndrome that provide insights into its pathobiology and prognosis. The imaging covered will include magnetic resonance imaging-derived markers of central nervous system volumetrics, connectivity, and the central vein sign, alongside optical coherence tomography-related metrics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ahmed T. Toosy
- Queen Square MS Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Mohanty R, Allabun S, Solanki SS, Pani SK, Alqahtani MS, Abbas M, Soufiene BO. NAMSTCD: A Novel Augmented Model for Spinal Cord Segmentation and Tumor Classification Using Deep Nets. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:diagnostics13081417. [PMID: 37189520 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13081417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord segmentation is the process of identifying and delineating the boundaries of the spinal cord in medical images such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scans. This process is important for many medical applications, including the diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring of spinal cord injuries and diseases. The segmentation process involves using image processing techniques to identify the spinal cord in the medical image and differentiate it from other structures, such as the vertebrae, cerebrospinal fluid, and tumors. There are several approaches to spinal cord segmentation, including manual segmentation by a trained expert, semi-automated segmentation using software tools that require some user input, and fully automated segmentation using deep learning algorithms. Researchers have proposed a wide range of system models for segmentation and tumor classification in spinal cord scans, but the majority of these models are designed for a specific segment of the spine. As a result, their performance is limited when applied to the entire lead, limiting their deployment scalability. This paper proposes a novel augmented model for spinal cord segmentation and tumor classification using deep nets to overcome this limitation. The model initially segments all five spinal cord regions and stores them as separate datasets. These datasets are manually tagged with cancer status and stage based on observations from multiple radiologist experts. Multiple Mask Regional Convolutional Neural Networks (MRCNNs) were trained on various datasets for region segmentation. The results of these segmentations were combined using a combination of VGGNet 19, YoLo V2, ResNet 101, and GoogLeNet models. These models were selected via performance validation on each segment. It was observed that VGGNet-19 was capable of classifying the thoracic and cervical regions, while YoLo V2 was able to efficiently classify the lumbar region, ResNet 101 exhibited better accuracy for sacral-region classification, and GoogLeNet was able to classify the coccygeal region with high performance accuracy. Due to use of specialized CNN models for different spinal cord segments, the proposed model was able to achieve a 14.5% better segmentation efficiency, 98.9% tumor classification accuracy, and a 15.6% higher speed performance when averaged over the entire dataset and compared with various state-of-the art models. This performance was observed to be better, due to which it can be used for various clinical deployments. Moreover, this performance was observed to be consistent across multiple tumor types and spinal cord regions, which makes the model highly scalable for a wide variety of spinal cord tumor classification scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricky Mohanty
- School of Information System, ASBM University, Bhubaneswar 754012, Odisha, India
| | - Sarah Allabun
- Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sandeep Singh Solanki
- Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra 835215, Jharkhand, India
| | | | - Mohammed S Alqahtani
- Radiological Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
- BioImaging Unit, Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, Michael Atiyah Building, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Mohamed Abbas
- Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ben Othman Soufiene
- PRINCE Laboratory Research, ISITcom, Hammam Sousse, University of Sousse, Sousse 4000, Tunisia
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4
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Longitudinal assessment of cervical spinal cord compartments in multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2023; 71:104545. [PMID: 36758461 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2023.104545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although cervical spinal cord (cSC) area is an established biomarker in MS, there is currently a lack of longitudinal assessments of cSC gray and white matter areas. OBJECTIVE We conducted an explorative analysis of longitudinal changes of cSC gray and white matter areas in MS patients. METHODS 65 MS patients (33 relapsing-remitting; 20 secondary progressive and 12 primary progressive) and 20 healthy controls (HC) received clinical and upper cSC MRI assessments over 1.10±0.28 years. cSC compartments were quantified on MRI using the novel averaged magnetization inversion recovery acquisitions sequence (in-plane resolution=0.67 × 0.67mm2), and in-house developed post-processing methods. Patients were stratified regarding clinical progression. RESULTS Patients with clinical progression showed faster reduction of cSC areas over time at the level of cSC enlargement (approximate vertebral level C4-C5) compared to stable patients (p<0.05). In addition, when compared to the rostral-cSC (approximate vertebral level C2-C3), a preferential reduction of cSC and white matter areas over time at the level of cSC enlargement (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively) was demonstrated only in patients with clinical progression, but not in stable MS patients and HC. Compared to HC, MS patients showed comparable changes over time in all cSC compartments. CONCLUSIONS MS patients with clinical disease progression demonstrate subtle signs of a more pronounced tissue loss at the level of cSC enlargement. Future studies should consider larger sample sizes and more extended observation periods.
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Matusche B, Litvin L, Schneider R, Bellenberg B, Mühlau M, Pongratz V, Berthele A, Groppa S, Muthuraman M, Zipp F, Paul F, Wiendl H, Meuth SG, Sämann P, Weber F, Linker RA, Kümpfel T, Gold R, Lukas C. Early spinal cord pseudoatrophy in interferon-beta-treated multiple sclerosis. Eur J Neurol 2023; 30:453-462. [PMID: 36318271 DOI: 10.1111/ene.15620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Brain pseudoatrophy has been shown to play a pivotal role in the interpretation of brain atrophy measures during the first year of disease-modifying therapy in multiple sclerosis. Whether pseudoatrophy also affects the spinal cord remains unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the extent of pseudoatrophy in the upper spinal cord during the first 2 years after therapy initiation and compare this to the brain. METHODS A total of 129 patients from a prospective longitudinal multicentric national cohort study for whom magnetic resonance imaging scans at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months were available were selected for brain and spinal cord volume quantification. Annual percentage brain volume and cord area change were calculated using SIENA (Structural Image Evaluation of Normalized Atrophy) and NeuroQLab, respectively. Linear mixed model analyses were performed to compare patients on interferon-beta therapy (n = 84) and untreated patients (n = 45). RESULTS Patients treated with interferon-beta demonstrated accelerated annual percentage brain volume and cervical cord area change in the first year after treatment initiation, whereas atrophy rates stabilized to a similar and not significantly different level compared to untreated patients during the second year. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that pseudoatrophy occurs not only in the brain, but also in the spinal cord during the first year of interferon-beta treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britta Matusche
- Institute for Neuroradiology, St Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Ludmila Litvin
- Institute for Neuroradiology, St Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Ruth Schneider
- Department of Neurology, St Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Barbara Bellenberg
- Institute for Neuroradiology, St Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Mark Mühlau
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Viola Pongratz
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Achim Berthele
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sergiu Groppa
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience and Immunotherapy, Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Muthuraman Muthuraman
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience and Immunotherapy, Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Frauke Zipp
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience and Immunotherapy, Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Friedemann Paul
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Heinz Wiendl
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sven G Meuth
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Frank Weber
- Neurological Clinic, Sana Clinic Cham, Cham, Germany
| | - Ralf A Linker
- Department of Neurology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tania Kümpfel
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, Biomedical Center and University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ralf Gold
- Department of Neurology, St Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Carsten Lukas
- Institute for Neuroradiology, St Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Kuhlmann T, Moccia M, Coetzee T, Cohen JA, Correale J, Graves J, Marrie RA, Montalban X, Yong VW, Thompson AJ, Reich DS. Multiple sclerosis progression: time for a new mechanism-driven framework. Lancet Neurol 2023; 22:78-88. [PMID: 36410373 PMCID: PMC10463558 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(22)00289-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 137.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Traditionally, multiple sclerosis has been categorised by distinct clinical descriptors-relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive, and primary progressive-for patient care, research, and regulatory approval of medications. Accumulating evidence suggests that the clinical course of multiple sclerosis is better considered as a continuum, with contributions from concurrent pathophysiological processes that vary across individuals and over time. The apparent evolution to a progressive course reflects a partial shift from predominantly localised acute injury to widespread inflammation and neurodegeneration, coupled with failure of compensatory mechanisms, such as neuroplasticity and remyelination. Ageing increases neural susceptibility to injury and decreases resilience. These observations encourage a new consideration of the course of multiple sclerosis as a spectrum defined by the relative contributions of overlapping pathological and reparative or compensatory processes. New understanding of key mechanisms underlying progression and measures to quantify progressive pathology will potentially have important and beneficial implications for clinical care, treatment targets, and regulatory decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Kuhlmann
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany; Neuroimmunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Marcello Moccia
- Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care and Research Centre, Department of Neurosciences, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Timothy Coetzee
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society (USA), New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Cohen
- Department of Neurology, Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jorge Correale
- Fleni, Department of Neurology, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Institute of Biological Chemistry and Biophysics (IQUIFIB), CONICET/UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jennifer Graves
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Ruth Ann Marrie
- Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Xavier Montalban
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre of Catalonia and Department of Neurology-Neuroimmunology, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - V Wee Yong
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Alan J Thompson
- Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel S Reich
- Translational Neuroradiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Li V, Leurent B, Barkhof F, Braisher M, Cafferty F, Ciccarelli O, Eshaghi A, Gray E, Nicholas JM, Parmar M, Peryer G, Robertson J, Stallard N, Wason J, Chataway J. Designing Multi-arm Multistage Adaptive Trials for Neuroprotection in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Neurology 2022; 98:754-764. [PMID: 35321926 PMCID: PMC9109150 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000200604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
There are few treatments shown to slow disability progression in progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS). One challenge has been efficiently testing the pipeline of candidate therapies from preclinical studies in clinical trials. Multi-arm multistage (MAMS) platform trials may accelerate evaluation of new therapies compared to traditional sequential clinical trials. We describe a MAMS design in PMS focusing on selection of interim and final outcome measures, sample size, and statistical considerations. The UK MS Society Expert Consortium for Progression in MS Clinical Trials reviewed recent phase II and III PMS trials to inform interim and final outcome selection and design measures. Simulations were performed to evaluate trial operating characteristics under different treatment effect, recruitment rate, and sample size assumptions. People with MS formed a patient and public involvement group and contributed to the trial design, ensuring it would meet the needs of the MS community. The proposed design evaluates 3 experimental arms compared to a common standard of care arm in 2 stages. Stage 1 (interim) outcome will be whole brain atrophy on MRI at 18 months, assessed for 123 participants per arm. Treatments with sufficient evidence for slowing brain atrophy will continue to the second stage. The stage 2 (final) outcome will be time to 6-month confirmed disability progression, based on a composite clinical score comprising the Expanded Disability Status Scale, Timed 25-Foot Walk test, and 9-Hole Peg Test. To detect a hazard ratio of 0.75 for this primary final outcome with 90% power, 600 participants per arm are required. Assuming one treatment progresses to stage 2, the trial will recruit ≈1,900 participants and last ≈6 years. This is approximately two-thirds the size and half the time of separate 2-arm phase II and III trials. The proposed MAMS trial design will substantially reduce duration and sample size compared to traditional clinical trials, accelerating discovery of effective treatments for PMS. The design was well-received by people with multiple sclerosis. The practical and statistical principles of MAMS trial design may be applicable to other neurodegenerative conditions to facilitate efficient testing of new therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivien Li
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Baptiste Leurent
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Marie Braisher
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Fay Cafferty
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Olga Ciccarelli
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Arman Eshaghi
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Emma Gray
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Jennifer M Nicholas
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Mahesh Parmar
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Guy Peryer
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Jenny Robertson
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Nigel Stallard
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - James Wason
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
| | - Jeremy Chataway
- From the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (V.L.), University of Melbourne; Department of Neurology (V.L.), Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia; Department of Medical Statistics (B.L., J.M.N.) and International Statistics and Epidemiology Group (B.L.), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing (F.B.), Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre (M.B., O.C.), and NMR Unit, Department of Neuroinflammation (A.E.), Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology; MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (F.C., M.P., J.C.), and Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing (A.E.), University College London; National Institute for Health Research (F.B., O.C., J.C.), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (E.G., G.P., J.R.), London; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (G.P.), University of East Anglia, Norwich; Statistics and Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences (N.S.), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry; and Population Health Sciences Institute (J.W.), Newcastle University, UK
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8
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Qiu YS, Zeng YH, Yuan RY, Ye ZX, Bi J, Lin XH, Chen YJ, Wang MW, Liu Y, Yao SB, Chen YK, Jiang JY, Lin Y, Lin X, Wang N, Fu Y, Chen WJ. Chinese patients with hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs): a protocol for a hospital-based cohort study. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e054011. [PMID: 35017251 PMCID: PMC8753405 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are uncommon but not rare neurodegenerative diseases. More than 100 pathogenic genes and loci related to spastic paraplegia symptoms have been reported. HSPs have the same core clinical features, including progressive spasticity in the lower limbs, though HSPs are heterogeneous (eg, clinical signs, MRI features, gene mutation). The age of onset varies greatly, from infant to adulthood. In addition, the slow and variable rates of disease progression in patients with HSP represent a substantial challenge for informative assessment of therapeutic efficacy. To address this, we are undertaking a prospective cohort study to investigate genetic-clinical characteristics, find surrogates for monitoring disease progress and identify clinical readouts for treatment. METHODS AND ANALYSIS In this case-control cohort study, we will enrol 200 patients with HSP and 200 healthy individuals in parallel. Participants will be continuously assessed for 3 years at 12-month intervals. Six aspects, including clinical signs, genetic spectrum, cognitive competence, MRI features, potential biochemical indicators and nerve electrophysiological factors, will be assessed in detail. This study will observe clinical manifestations and disease severity based on different molecular mechanisms, including oxidative stress, cholesterol metabolism and microtubule dynamics, all of which have been proposed as potential treatment targets or modalities. The analysis will also assess disease progression in different types of HSPs and cellular pathways with a longitudinal study using t tests and χ2 tests. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The study was granted ethics committee approval by the first affiliated hospital of Fujian Medical University (MRCTA, ECFAH of FMU (2019)194) in 2019. Findings will be disseminated via presentations and peer-reviewed publications. Dissemination will target different audiences, including national stakeholders, researchers from different disciplines and the general public. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT04006418.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Sen Qiu
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Yi-Heng Zeng
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Ru-Ying Yuan
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Zhi-Xian Ye
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Jin Bi
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Lin
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Yi-Jun Chen
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Meng-Wen Wang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Radiology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Department of Medical Imaging Technology, College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Shao-Bo Yao
- Department of Nuclear Medicine of The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Yi-Kun Chen
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Jun-Yi Jiang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Yi Lin
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Xiang Lin
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Ning Wang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Ying Fu
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Wan-Jin Chen
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
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9
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Navas-Sánchez FJ, Marcos-Vidal L, de Blas DM, Fernández-Pena A, Alemán-Gómez Y, Guzmán-de-Villoria JA, Romero J, Catalina I, Lillo L, Muñoz-Blanco JL, Ordoñez-Ugalde A, Quintáns B, Sobrido MJ, Carmona S, Grandas F, Desco M. Tract-specific damage at spinal cord level in pure hereditary spastic paraplegia type 4: a diffusion tensor imaging study. J Neurol 2022; 269:3189-3203. [PMID: 34999956 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-021-10933-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND SPG4 is a subtype of hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), an upper motor neuron disorder characterized by axonal degeneration of the corticospinal tracts and the fasciculus gracilis. The few neuroimaging studies that have focused on the spinal cord in HSP are based mainly on the analysis of structural characteristics. METHODS We assessed diffusion-related characteristics of the spinal cord using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), as well as structural and shape-related properties in 12 SPG4 patients and 14 controls. We used linear mixed effects models up to T3 in order to analyze the global effects of 'group' and 'clinical data' on structural and diffusion data. For DTI, we carried out a region of interest (ROI) analysis in native space for the whole spinal cord, the anterior and lateral funiculi, and the dorsal columns. We also performed a voxelwise analysis of the spinal cord to study local diffusion-related changes. RESULTS A reduced cross-sectional area was observed in the cervical region of SPG4 patients, with significant anteroposterior flattening. DTI analyses revealed significantly decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity at all the cervical and thoracic levels, particularly in the lateral funiculi and dorsal columns. The FA changes in SPG4 patients were significantly related to disease severity, measured as the Spastic Paraplegia Rating Scale score. CONCLUSIONS Our results in SPG4 indicate tract-specific axonal damage at the level of the cervical and thoracic spinal cord. This finding is correlated with the degree of motor disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco J Navas-Sánchez
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain. .,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Luis Marcos-Vidal
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Bioingeniería E Ingeniería Aeroespacial, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Martín de Blas
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Bioingeniería E Ingeniería Aeroespacial, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Fernández-Pena
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Bioingeniería E Ingeniería Aeroespacial, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Yasser Alemán-Gómez
- Department of Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Prilly, Switzerland.,Department of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Medical Image Analysis Laboratory (MIAL), Centre d'Imagerie BioMédicale (CIBM), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Juan A Guzmán-de-Villoria
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Servicio de Radiodiagnóstico, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Julia Romero
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Servicio de Radiodiagnóstico, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Catalina
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Servicio de Neurología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Lillo
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid, Spain
| | - José L Muñoz-Blanco
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Servicio de Neurología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrés Ordoñez-Ugalde
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.,Laboratorio Biomolecular, Cuenca, Ecuador.,Unidad de Genética y Molecular, Hospital de Especialidades José Carrasco Arteaga, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Beatriz Quintáns
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-U711), Madrid, Spain.,Fundación Pública Galega de Medicina Xenómica, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - María-Jesús Sobrido
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biomédica, Hospital Clínico Universitario de A Coruña, SERGAS, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Susanna Carmona
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Grandas
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Servicio de Neurología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Desco
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Bioingeniería E Ingeniería Aeroespacial, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
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10
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Cortese R, Giorgio A, Severa G, De Stefano N. MRI Prognostic Factors in Multiple Sclerosis, Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder, and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Antibody Disease. Front Neurol 2021; 12:679881. [PMID: 34867701 PMCID: PMC8636325 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.679881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Several MRI measures have been developed in the last couple of decades, providing a number of imaging biomarkers that can capture the complexity of the pathological processes occurring in multiple sclerosis (MS) brains. Such measures have provided more specific information on the heterogeneous pathologic substrate of MS-related tissue damage, being able to detect, and quantify the evolution of structural changes both within and outside focal lesions. In clinical practise, MRI is increasingly used in the MS field to help to assess patients during follow-up, guide treatment decisions and, importantly, predict the disease course. Moreover, the process of identifying new effective therapies for MS patients has been supported by the use of serial MRI examinations in order to sensitively detect the sub-clinical effects of disease-modifying treatments at an earlier stage than is possible using measures based on clinical disease activity. However, despite this has been largely demonstrated in the relapsing forms of MS, a poor understanding of the underlying pathologic mechanisms leading to either progression or tissue repair in MS as well as the lack of sensitive outcome measures for the progressive phases of the disease and repair therapies makes the development of effective treatments a big challenge. Finally, the role of MRI biomarkers in the monitoring of disease activity and the assessment of treatment response in other inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte antibody disease (MOGAD) is still marginal, and advanced MRI studies have shown conflicting results. Against this background, this review focused on recently developed MRI measures, which were sensitive to pathological changes, and that could best contribute in the future to provide prognostic information and monitor patients with MS and other inflammatory demyelinating diseases, in particular, NMOSD and MOGAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Cortese
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Antonio Giorgio
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Gianmarco Severa
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Nicola De Stefano
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
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11
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Valsasina P, Gobbi C, Zecca C, Rovira A, Sastre-Garriga J, Kearney H, Yiannakas M, Matthews L, Palace J, Gallo A, Bisecco A, Gass A, Eisele P, Filippi M, Rocca MA. Characterizing 1-year development of cervical cord atrophy across different MS phenotypes: A voxel-wise, multicentre analysis. Mult Scler 2021; 28:885-899. [PMID: 34605323 DOI: 10.1177/13524585211045545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spatio-temporal evolution of cord atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS) has not been investigated yet. OBJECTIVE To evaluate voxel-wise distribution and 1-year changes of cervical cord atrophy in a multicentre MS cohort. METHODS Baseline and 1-year 3D T1-weighted cervical cord scans and clinical evaluations of 54 healthy controls (HC) and 113 MS patients (14 clinically isolated syndromes (CIS), 77 relapsing-remitting (RR), 22 progressive (P)) were used to investigate voxel-wise cord volume loss in patients versus HC, 1-year volume changes and clinical correlations (SPM12). RESULTS MS patients exhibited baseline cord atrophy versus HC at anterior and posterior/lateral C1/C2 and C4-C6 (p < 0.05, corrected). While CIS patients showed baseline volume increase at C4 versus HC (p < 0.001, uncorrected), RRMS exhibited posterior/lateral C1/C2 atrophy versus CIS, and PMS showed widespread cord atrophy versus RRMS (p < 0.05, corrected). At 1 year, 13 patients had clinically worsened. Cord atrophy progressed in MS, driven by RRMS, at posterior/lateral C2 and C3-C6 (p < 0.05, corrected). CIS patients showed no volume changes, while PMS showed circumscribed atrophy progression. Baseline cord atrophy at posterior/lateral C1/C2 and C3-C6 correlated with concomitant and 1-year disability (r = -0.40/-0.62, p < 0.05, corrected). CONCLUSIONS Voxel-wise analysis characterized spinal cord neurodegeneration over 1 year across MS phenotypes and helped to explain baseline and 1-year disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Valsasina
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudio Gobbi
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Civic Hospital, Lugano, Switzerland Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Lugano. Switzerland
| | - Chiara Zecca
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Civic Hospital, Lugano, Switzerland Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Lugano. Switzerland
| | - Alex Rovira
- Section of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaume Sastre-Garriga
- Department of Neurology/Neuroimmunology, Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hugh Kearney
- Department of Neurology, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland/NMR Research Unit, Queen Square MS Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Marios Yiannakas
- NMR Research Unit, Queen Square MS Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Lucy Matthews
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jacqueline Palace
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Antonio Gallo
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, 3T-MRI Research Centre, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Alvino Bisecco
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, 3T-MRI Research Centre, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Naples, Italy
| | - Achim Gass
- Department of Neurology/Neuroimaging, Medical Faculty Mannheim and Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences (MCTN), University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Philipp Eisele
- Department of Neurology/Neuroimaging, Medical Faculty Mannheim and Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences (MCTN), University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Neurology Unit, Neurorehabilitation Unit, Neurophysiology Service, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy/Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria A Rocca
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
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Generic acquisition protocol for quantitative MRI of the spinal cord. Nat Protoc 2021; 16:4611-4632. [PMID: 34400839 PMCID: PMC8811488 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-021-00588-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative spinal cord (SC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) presents many challenges, including a lack of standardized imaging protocols. Here we present a prospectively harmonized quantitative MRI protocol, which we refer to as the spine generic protocol, for users of 3T MRI systems from the three main manufacturers: GE, Philips and Siemens. The protocol provides guidance for assessing SC macrostructural and microstructural integrity: T1-weighted and T2-weighted imaging for SC cross-sectional area computation, multi-echo gradient echo for gray matter cross-sectional area, and magnetization transfer and diffusion weighted imaging for assessing white matter microstructure. In a companion paper from the same authors, the spine generic protocol was used to acquire data across 42 centers in 260 healthy subjects. The key details of the spine generic protocol are also available in an open-access document that can be found at https://github.com/spine-generic/protocols . The protocol will serve as a starting point for researchers and clinicians implementing new SC imaging initiatives so that, in the future, inclusion of the SC in neuroimaging protocols will be more common. The protocol could be implemented by any trained MR technician or by a researcher/clinician familiar with MRI acquisition.
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Valsasina P, Horsfield MA, Meani A, Gobbi C, Gallo A, Rocca MA, Filippi M. Improved Assessment of Longitudinal Spinal Cord Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis Using a Registration-Based Approach: Relevance for Clinical Studies. J Magn Reson Imaging 2021; 55:1559-1568. [PMID: 34582062 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.27937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reliable measurements of cervical cord atrophy progression may be useful for monitoring neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). PURPOSE To compare a new, registration-based (Reg) method with two existing methods (active surface [AS] and propagation segmentation [PropSeg]) to measure cord atrophy changes over time in MS. STUDY TYPE Retrospective. SUBJECTS Cohort I: Eight healthy controls (HC) and 28 MS patients enrolled at a single institution, and cohort II: 25 HC and 63 MS patients enrolled at three European sites. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3D T1-weighted gradient echo sequence, acquired at 1.5 T (cohort I) and 3.0 T (cohort II). ASSESSMENT Percentage cord area changes (PCACs) between baseline and follow-up (cohort I: 2.34 years [interquartile range = 2.00-2.55 years], cohort II: 1.05 years [interquartile range = 1.01-1.18 years]) were evaluated for all subjects using Reg, AS, and PropSeg. Reg included an accurate registration of baseline and follow-up straightened cord images, followed by AS-based optimized cord segmentation. A subset of studies was analyzed twice by two observers. STATISTICAL TESTS Linear regression models were used to estimate annualized PCAC, and effect sizes expressed as the ratio between the estimated differences and HC error term (P < 0.05). Reproducibility was assessed by linear mixed-effect models. Annualized PCACs were used for sample size calculations (significance: α = 0.05, power: 1 - β = 0.80). RESULTS Annualized PCACs and related standard errors (SEs) were lower with Reg than with other methods: PCAC in MS patients at 1.5 T was -1.12% (SE = 0.22) with Reg, -1.32% (SE = 0.30) with AS, and -1.40% (SE = 0.33) with PropSeg, while at 3.0 T PCAC was -0.83% (SE = 0.25) with Reg, -0.92% (SE = 0.32) with AS, and -1.18 (SE = 0.53) with PropSeg. This was reflected in larger effect sizes and lower sample sizes. Intra- and inter-observer agreement range was 0.72-0.91 with AS, and it was >0.96 with Reg. DATA CONCLUSION The results support the use of the registration method to measure cervical cord atrophy progression in future MS clinical studies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Valsasina
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Meani
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudio Gobbi
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland (NSI), Lugano, Switzerland.,Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Antonio Gallo
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences and 3T-MRI Research Centre, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria A Rocca
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.,Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Neurophysiology Service, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
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Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of Early Markers of Upper Cervical Cord Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder. Mult Scler Int 2021; 2021:9917582. [PMID: 34306756 PMCID: PMC8285164 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9917582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To quantitatively analyze the C2/C3 segments of the spinal cord on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients in their first five years of the disease and to investigate the intergroup differences regarding markers of spinal cord atrophy and their correlations with expanded disability status scale (EDSS). Materials and Methods Twenty NMOSD patients and twenty RRMS patients, within their first five years of the disease, were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. All patients underwent spinal cord MR imaging using 1.5 Tesla systems, and C2/C3 portions of the spinal cord were segmented in the obtained scans. C2/C3 anteroposterior diameter (C2/C3 SC-APD), transversal diameter (C2/C3 SC-TD), and cross-sectional area (C2/C3 SC-CSA) were quantitatively measured using Spinal Cord Toolbox v.4.3. Results Three NMOSD patients were seropositive for anti-AQP4 IgG. The mean C2/C3 SC-CSA in NMOSD patients was significantly lower than in RRMS patients. NMOSD patients had significantly lower C2/C3 SC-TDs than RRMS patients. With the three anti-AQP4+ patients excluded from the analysis, C2/C3 SC-TD was negatively correlated with EDSS. Conclusion In the early stages of the disease, quantitative evaluation of C2/C3 spinal cord parameters, including cross-sectional area and transversal diameter in NMOSD patients, appears to be of potential diagnostic and prognostic value.
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Fuchs TA, Dwyer MG, Jakimovski D, Bergsland N, Ramasamy DP, Weinstock-Guttman B, Hb Benedict R, Zivadinov R. Quantifying disease pathology and predicting disease progression in multiple sclerosis with only clinical routine T2-FLAIR MRI. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 31:102705. [PMID: 34091352 PMCID: PMC8182301 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
We explored five brain pathology measures from clinical-quality T2-FLAIR MRI in MS. These included LVV, thalamus volume, MOV, SCLV and network efficiency. T2-FLAIR measures predicted a majority of the variance in research-quality MRI. T2-FLAIR measures correlated with neurologic disability and cognitive function. T2-FLAIR measures predicted disability progression over five-years. T2-FLAIR measures can be used in legacy clinical datasets.
Background Although quantitative measures from research-quality MRI provide a means to study multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology in vivo, these metrics are often unavailable in legacy clinical datasets. Objective To determine how well an automatically-generated quantitative snapshot of brain pathology, measured only on clinical routine T2-FLAIR MRI, can substitute for more conventional measures on research MRI in terms of capturing multi-factorial disease pathology and providing similar clinical relevance. Methods MRI with both research-quality sequences and conventional clinical T2-FLAIR was acquired for 172 MS patients at baseline, and neurologic disability was assessed at baseline and five-years later. Five measures (thalamus volume, lateral ventricle volume, medulla oblongata volume, lesion volume, and network efficiency) for quantifying disparate aspects of neuropathology from low-resolution T2-FLAIR were applied to predict standard research-quality MRI measures. They were compared in regard to association with future neurologic disability and disease progression over five years. Results The combination of the five T2-FLAIR measures explained most of the variance in standard research-quality MRI. T2-FLAIR measures were associated with neurologic disability and cognitive function five-years later (R2 = 0.279, p < 0.001; R2 = 0.382, p < 0.001), similar to standard research-quality MRI (R2 = 0.279, p < 0.001; R2 = 0.366, p < 0.001). They also similarly predicted disability progression over five years (%-correctly-classified = 69.8, p = 0.034), compared to standard research-quality MRI (%-correctly-classified = 72.4%, p = 0.022) in relapsing-remitting MS. Conclusion A set of five T2-FLAIR-only measures can substitute for standard research-quality MRI, especially in relapsing-remitting MS. When only clinical T2-FLAIR is available, it can be used to obtain substantially more quantitative information about brain pathology and disability than is currently standard practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A Fuchs
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; Jacobs Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Michael G Dwyer
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; Center for Biomedical Imaging at Clinical Translational Science Institute, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Dejan Jakimovski
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Niels Bergsland
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; IRCCS, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Milan, Italy
| | - Deepa P Ramasamy
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Bianca Weinstock-Guttman
- Jacobs Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Ralph Hb Benedict
- Jacobs Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Robert Zivadinov
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; IRCCS, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Milan, Italy.
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16
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Sechi E, Messina S, Keegan BM, Buciuc M, Pittock SJ, Kantarci OH, Weinshenker BG, Flanagan EP. Critical spinal cord lesions associate with secondary progressive motor impairment in long-standing MS: A population-based case-control study. Mult Scler 2021; 27:667-673. [PMID: 32552535 PMCID: PMC10477711 DOI: 10.1177/1352458520929192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Progressive motor impairment anatomically attributable to prominent, focally atrophic lateral column spinal cord lesions ("critical lesions") can be seen in multiple sclerosis (MS), for example, progressive hemiparetic MS. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate whether similar spinal cord lesions are more frequent in long-standing MS patients with secondary progressive motor impairment (secondary progressive MS (SPMS)) versus those maintaining a relapsing-remitting course (relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS)). METHODS We retrospectively identified Olmsted County (MN, USA) residents on 31 December 2011 with (1) RRMS or SPMS for ⩾25 years, and (2) available brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A blinded neuroradiologist determined demyelinating lesion burden and presence of potential critical lesions (prominent focally atrophic spinal cord lateral column lesions). RESULTS In total, 32 patients were included: RRMS, 18; SPMS, 14. Median (range) disease duration (34 (27-53) vs. 39 (29-47) years) and relapse number (4 (1-10) vs. 3 (1-15)) were similar. In comparison to RRMS, SPMS patients more commonly showed potential critical spinal cord lesions (8/18 (44%) vs. 14/14 (100%)), higher spinal cord (median (range) 4 (1-7) vs. 7.5 (3-12)), and brain infratentorial (median (range) 1 (0-12) vs. 2.5 (1-13)) lesion number; p < 0.05. By multivariate analysis, only the presence of potential critical lesions independently associated with motor progression (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION Critical spinal cord lesions may be important contributors to motor progression in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elia Sechi
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Steven Messina
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - B Mark Keegan
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Marina Buciuc
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Sean J Pittock
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA/Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Orhun H Kantarci
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Brian G Weinshenker
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Eoin P Flanagan
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA/Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
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Gros C, Lemay A, Cohen-Adad J. SoftSeg: Advantages of soft versus binary training for image segmentation. Med Image Anal 2021; 71:102038. [PMID: 33784599 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2021.102038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Most image segmentation algorithms are trained on binary masks formulated as a classification task per pixel. However, in applications such as medical imaging, this "black-and-white" approach is too constraining because the contrast between two tissues is often ill-defined, i.e., the voxels located on objects' edges contain a mixture of tissues (a partial volume effect). Consequently, assigning a single "hard" label can result in a detrimental approximation. Instead, a soft prediction containing non-binary values would overcome that limitation. In this study, we introduce SoftSeg, a deep learning training approach that takes advantage of soft ground truth labels, and is not bound to binary predictions. SoftSeg aims at solving a regression instead of a classification problem. This is achieved by using (i) no binarization after preprocessing and data augmentation, (ii) a normalized ReLU final activation layer (instead of sigmoid), and (iii) a regression loss function (instead of the traditional Dice loss). We assess the impact of these three features on three open-source MRI segmentation datasets from the spinal cord gray matter, the multiple sclerosis brain lesion, and the multimodal brain tumor segmentation challenges. Across multiple random dataset splittings, SoftSeg outperformed the conventional approach, leading to an increase in Dice score of 2.0% on the gray matter dataset (p=0.001), 3.3% for the brain lesions, and 6.5% for the brain tumors. SoftSeg produces consistent soft predictions at tissues' interfaces and shows an increased sensitivity for small objects (e.g., multiple sclerosis lesions). The richness of soft labels could represent the inter-expert variability, the partial volume effect, and complement the model uncertainty estimation, which is typically unclear with binary predictions. The developed training pipeline can easily be incorporated into most of the existing deep learning architectures. SoftSeg is implemented in the freely-available deep learning toolbox ivadomed (https://ivadomed.org).
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Affiliation(s)
- Charley Gros
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Mila - Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Andreanne Lemay
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Mila - Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Julien Cohen-Adad
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Mila - Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada; Functional Neuroimaging Unit, CRIUGM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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Bautin P, Cohen-Adad J. Minimum detectable spinal cord atrophy with automatic segmentation: Investigations using an open-access dataset of healthy participants. NEUROIMAGE: CLINICAL 2021; 32:102849. [PMID: 34624638 PMCID: PMC8503570 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Evaluate the robustness of an automated analysis pipeline for detecting SC atrophy. Simulate spinal cord atrophy and scan-rescan variability. Fully automated analysis method available on an open access database. Evaluation of sample size and inter/intra-subject variability for T1w and T2w images.
Spinal cord atrophy is a well-known biomarker in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases. It is measured by segmenting the spinal cord on an MRI image and computing the average cross-sectional area (CSA) over a few slices. Introduced about 25 years ago, this procedure is highly sensitive to the quality of the segmentation and is prone to rater-bias. Recently, fully-automated spinal cord segmentation methods, which remove the rater-bias and enable the automated analysis of large populations, have been introduced. A lingering question related to these automated methods is: How reliable are they at detecting atrophy? In this study, we evaluated the precision and accuracy of automated atrophy measurements by simulating scan-rescan experiments. Spinal cord MRI data from the open-access spine-generic project were used. The dataset aggregates 42 sites worldwide and consists of 260 healthy subjects and includes T1w and T2w contrasts. To simulate atrophy, each volume was globally rescaled at various scaling factors. Moreover, to simulate patient repositioning, random rigid transformations were applied. Using the DeepSeg algorithm from the Spinal Cord Toolbox, the spinal cord was segmented and vertebral levels were identified. Then, the average CSA between C3-C5 vertebral levels was computed for each Monte Carlo sample, allowing us to derive measures of atrophy, intra/inter-subject variability, and sample-size calculations. The minimum sample size required to detect an atrophy of 2% between unpaired study arms, commonly seen in MS studies, was 467 +/− 13.9 using T1w and 467 +/− 3.2 using T2w images. The minimum sample size to detect a longitudinal atrophy (between paired study arms) of 0.8% was 60 +/− 25.1 using T1w and 10 +/− 1.2 using T2w images. At the intra-subject level, the estimated CSA, observed in this study, showed good precision compared to other studies with COVs (across Monte Carlo transformations) of 0.8% for T1w and 0.6% for T2w images. While these sample sizes seem small, we would like to stress that these results correspond to a “best case” scenario, in that the dataset used here was of particularly good quality and the model for simulating atrophy does not encompass all the variability met in real-life datasets. The simulated atrophy and scan-rescan variability may over-simplify the biological reality. The proposed framework is open-source and available at https://csa-atrophy.readthedocs.io/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Bautin
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Julien Cohen-Adad
- NeuroPoly Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Functional Neuroimaging Unit, CRIUGM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Mila - Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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Imaging of the Spinal Cord in Multiple Sclerosis: Past, Present, Future. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10110857. [PMID: 33202821 PMCID: PMC7696997 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10110857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord imaging in multiple sclerosis (MS) plays a significant role in diagnosing and tracking disease progression. The spinal cord is one of four key areas of the central nervous system where documenting the dissemination in space in the McDonald criteria for diagnosing MS. Spinal cord lesion load and the severity of cord atrophy are believed to be more relevant to disability than white matter lesions in the brain in different phenotypes of MS. Axonal loss contributes to spinal cord atrophy in MS and its degree correlates with disease severity and prognosis. Therefore, measures of axonal loss are often reliable biomarkers for monitoring disease progression. With recent technical advances, more and more qualitative and quantitative MRI techniques have been investigated in an attempt to provide objective and reliable diagnostic and monitoring biomarkers in MS. In this article, we discuss the role of spinal cord imaging in the diagnosis and prognosis of MS and, additionally, we review various techniques that may improve our understanding of the disease.
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Leguy S, Combès B, Bannier E, Kerbrat A. Prognostic value of spinal cord MRI in multiple sclerosis patients. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2020; 177:571-581. [PMID: 33069379 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2020.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis [MS] is a common inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that affects both the brain and the spinal cord. In clinical practice, spinal cord MRI is performed far less frequently than brain MRI, mainly owing to technical limitations and time constraints. However, improvements of acquisition techniques, combined with a strong diagnosis and prognostic value, suggest an increasing use of spinal cord MRI in the near future. This review summarizes the current data from the literature on the prognostic value of spinal cord MRI in MS patients in the early and later stages of their disease. Both conventional and quantitative MRI techniques are discussed. The prognostic value of spinal cord lesions is clearly established at the onset of disease, underlining the interest of spinal cord conventional MRI at this stage. However, studies are currently lacking to affirm the prognostic role of spinal cord lesions later in the disease, and therefore the added value of regular follow-up with spinal cord MRI in addition to brain MRI. Besides, spinal cord atrophy, as measured by the loss of cervical spinal cord area, is also associated with disability progression, independently of other clinical and MRI factors including spinal cord lesions. Although potentially interesting, this measurement is not currently performed as a routine clinical procedure. Finally, other measures extracted from quantitative MRI have been established as valuable for a better understanding of the physiopathology of MS, but still remain a field of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Leguy
- CHU de Rennes, Neurology department, 2, Rue Henri-le-Guilloux, 35000 Rennes, France; University Rennes, Inria, CNRS, Inserm, IRISA UMR 6074, Empenn U1228, Rennes, France
| | - B Combès
- University Rennes, Inria, CNRS, Inserm, IRISA UMR 6074, Empenn U1228, Rennes, France
| | - E Bannier
- University Rennes, Inria, CNRS, Inserm, IRISA UMR 6074, Empenn U1228, Rennes, France; CHU de Rennes, Radiology department, Rennes, France
| | - A Kerbrat
- CHU de Rennes, Neurology department, 2, Rue Henri-le-Guilloux, 35000 Rennes, France; University Rennes, Inria, CNRS, Inserm, IRISA UMR 6074, Empenn U1228, Rennes, France.
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21
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Calvi A, Haider L, Prados F, Tur C, Chard D, Barkhof F. In vivo imaging of chronic active lesions in multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler 2020; 28:683-690. [PMID: 32965168 PMCID: PMC8978472 DOI: 10.1177/1352458520958589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
New clinical activity in multiple sclerosis (MS) is often accompanied by
acute inflammation which subsides. However, there is growing evidence
that a substantial proportion of lesions remain active well beyond the
acute phase. Chronic active lesions are most frequently found in
progressive MS and are characterised by a border of inflammation
associated with iron-enriched cells, leading to ongoing tissue injury.
Identifying imaging markers for chronic active lesions in vivo are
thus a major research goal. We reviewed the literature on imaging of
chronic active lesion in MS, focussing on ‘slowly expanding lesions’
(SELs), detected by volumetric longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) and ‘rim-positive’ lesions, identified by susceptibility
iron-sensitive MRI. Both SELs and rim-positive lesions have been found
to be prognostically relevant to future disability. Little is known
about the co-occurrence of rims around SELs and their
inter-relationship with other emerging techniques such as dynamic
contrast enhancement (DCE) and positron emission tomography (PET).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Calvi
- Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK/Unità di neurologia, Associazione Centro ‘Dino Ferrari’, IRCCS Fondazione Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Lukas Haider
- Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK/Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ferran Prados
- Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK/Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK/e-Health Centre, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen Tur
- Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK/Neurology Department, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, Luton, UK
| | - Declan Chard
- Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK/National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Biomedical Research Centre, UK
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK/Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK/Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Spinal cord atrophy in a primary progressive multiple sclerosis trial: Improved sample size using GBSI. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 28:102418. [PMID: 32961403 PMCID: PMC7509079 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Revised: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The GBSI provided clinically meaningful measurements of spinal cord atrophy, with low sample size. Deriving spinal cord atrophy from brain MRI using the GBSI is easier than spinal cord MRI. Spinal cord atrophy on GBSI could be used as a secondary outcome measure.
Background We aimed to evaluate the implications for clinical trial design of the generalised boundary-shift integral (GBSI) for spinal cord atrophy measurement. Methods We included 220 primary-progressive multiple sclerosis patients from a phase 2 clinical trial, with baseline and week-48 3DT1-weighted MRI of the brain and spinal cord (1 × 1 × 1 mm3), acquired separately. We obtained segmentation-based cross-sectional spinal cord area (CSA) at C1-2 (from both brain and spinal cord MRI) and C2-5 levels (from spinal cord MRI) using DeepSeg, and, then, we computed corresponding GBSI. Results Depending on the spinal cord segment, we included 67.4–98.1% patients for CSA measurements, and 66.9–84.2% for GBSI. Spinal cord atrophy measurements obtained with GBSI had lower measurement variability, than corresponding CSA. Looking at the image noise floor, the lowest median standard deviation of the MRI signal within the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the spinal cord was found on brain MRI at the C1-2 level. Spinal cord atrophy derived from brain MRI was related to the corresponding measures from dedicated spinal cord MRI, more strongly for GBSI than CSA. Spinal cord atrophy measurements using GBSI, but not CSA, were associated with upper and lower limb motor progression. Discussion Notwithstanding the reduced measurement variability, the clinical correlates, and the possibility of using brain acquisitions, spinal cord atrophy using GBSI should remain a secondary outcome measure in MS studies, until further advancements increase the quality of acquisition and reliability of processing.
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Moog TM, McCreary M, Stanley T, Wilson A, Santoyo J, Wright K, Winkler MD, Wang Y, Yu F, Newton BD, Zeydan B, Kantarci O, Guo X, Okuda DT. African Americans experience disproportionate neurodegenerative changes in the medulla and upper cervical spinal cord in early multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2020; 45:102429. [PMID: 32805478 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.102429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To compare the temporal changes in the 3-dimensional (3D) structure of the medulla-upper cervical spinal cord region in African American (AA) and white multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to identify early patterns of anatomical change prior to progressive symptom development. METHODS Standardized 3-Tesla 3D brain MRI studies were performed at two time points on AA and white MS patients along with controls. Longitudinal changes in volume, surface area, tissue compliance, and surface texture measured in total and within ventral and dorsal compartments were studied. Independent regression models were constructed to evaluate differences between groups. RESULTS Thirty-five individuals were studied, 10 AA with MS (female (F): 8; median age [IQR]=33.8 years (y) [10.9], median disease duration: 11.8y [11.3]), 20 white MS patients (F: 10; 35.6y [17.4], 7.23y [8.83], and 5 controls (F: 2, 51.8y [10.2]). Expanded Disability Status Scale scores were 0.0 at baseline and at the second MRI time point. Within the medulla-upper cervical spinal cord, AA versus white MS patients exhibited greater rates of atrophy in total (p<0.0001) and within the ventral (p<0.0001) and dorsal (p<0.0001) compartments, reduced surface area (p<0.0001), and reduced tissue compliance in the ventral (p=0.002) and dorsal (p=0.0005) compartments. The rate of change at the dorsal surface, but not the ventral surface, between MRI time points was also greater in AA relative to white MS patients (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION Structural changes in distinct anatomical regions of the medulla-upper cervical spinal cord may be reflective of early and disproportionate neurodegeneration in AA MS as compared to whites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatum M Moog
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics Neuroinnovation Program, Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology Imaging Program, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Morgan McCreary
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics Neuroinnovation Program, Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology Imaging Program, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Thomas Stanley
- University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Computer Science, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Andrew Wilson
- University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Computer Science, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Jose Santoyo
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics Neuroinnovation Program, Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology Imaging Program, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Katy Wright
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics Neuroinnovation Program, Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology Imaging Program, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Mandy D Winkler
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics Neuroinnovation Program, Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology Imaging Program, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Yeqi Wang
- University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Computer Science, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Frank Yu
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Braeden D Newton
- University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | - Xiaohu Guo
- University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Computer Science, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A
| | - Darin T Okuda
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics Neuroinnovation Program, Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology Imaging Program, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.
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Kuchling J, Paul F. Visualizing the Central Nervous System: Imaging Tools for Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders. Front Neurol 2020; 11:450. [PMID: 32625158 PMCID: PMC7311777 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are autoimmune central nervous system conditions with increasing incidence and prevalence. While MS is the most frequent inflammatory CNS disorder in young adults, NMOSD is a rare disease, that is pathogenetically distinct from MS, and accounts for approximately 1% of demyelinating disorders, with the relative proportion within the demyelinating CNS diseases varying widely among different races and regions. Most immunomodulatory drugs used in MS are inefficacious or even harmful in NMOSD, emphasizing the need for a timely and accurate diagnosis and distinction from MS. Despite distinct immunopathology and differences in disease course and severity there might be considerable overlap in clinical and imaging findings, posing a diagnostic challenge for managing neurologists. Differential diagnosis is facilitated by positive serology for AQP4-antibodies (AQP4-ab) in NMOSD, but might be difficult in seronegative cases. Imaging of the brain, optic nerve, retina and spinal cord is of paramount importance when managing patients with autoimmune CNS conditions. Once a diagnosis has been established, imaging techniques are often deployed at regular intervals over the disease course as surrogate measures for disease activity and progression and to surveil treatment effects. While the application of some imaging modalities for monitoring of disease course was established decades ago in MS, the situation is unclear in NMOSD where work on longitudinal imaging findings and their association with clinical disability is scant. Moreover, as long-term disability is mostly attack-related in NMOSD and does not stem from insidious progression as in MS, regular follow-up imaging might not be useful in the absence of clinical events. However, with accumulating evidence for covert tissue alteration in NMOSD and with the advent of approved immunotherapies the role of imaging in the management of NMOSD may be reconsidered. By contrast, MS management still faces the challenge of implementing imaging techniques that are capable of monitoring progressive tissue loss in clinical trials and cohort studies into treatment algorithms for individual patients. This article reviews the current status of imaging research in MS and NMOSD with an emphasis on emerging modalities that have the potential to be implemented in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Kuchling
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt–Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt–Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt–Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Friedemann Paul
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt–Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt–Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt–Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
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Tavazzi E, Zivadinov R, Dwyer MG, Jakimovski D, Singhal T, Weinstock-Guttman B, Bergsland N. MRI biomarkers of disease progression and conversion to secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis. Expert Rev Neurother 2020; 20:821-834. [PMID: 32306772 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2020.1757435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Conventional imaging measures remain a key clinical tool for the diagnosis multiple sclerosis (MS) and monitoring of patients. However, most measures used in the clinic show unsatisfactory performance in predicting disease progression and conversion to secondary progressive MS. AREAS COVERED Sophisticated imaging techniques have facilitated the identification of imaging biomarkers associated with disease progression, such as global and regional brain volume measures, and with conversion to secondary progressive MS, such as leptomeningeal contrast enhancement and chronic inflammation. The relevance of emerging imaging approaches partially overcoming intrinsic limitations of traditional techniques is also discussed. EXPERT OPINION Imaging biomarkers capable of detecting tissue damage early on in the disease, with the potential to be applied in multicenter trials and at an individual level in clinical settings, are strongly needed. Several measures have been proposed, which exploit advanced imaging acquisitions and/or incorporate sophisticated post-processing, can quantify irreversible tissue damage. The progressively wider use of high-strength field MRI and the development of more advanced imaging techniques will help capture the missing pieces of the MS puzzle. The ability to more reliably identify those at risk for disability progression will allow for earlier intervention with the aim to favorably alter the disease course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Tavazzi
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Robert Zivadinov
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo, NY, USA.,Translational Imaging Center, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Michael G Dwyer
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Dejan Jakimovski
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Tarun Singhal
- PET Imaging Program in Neurologic Diseases and Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Disease, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bianca Weinstock-Guttman
- Jacobs Comprehensive MS Treatment and Research Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Niels Bergsland
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York , Buffalo, NY, USA.,IRCCS, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi , Milan, Italy
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Rocca MA, Preziosa P, Filippi M. What role should spinal cord MRI take in the future of multiple sclerosis surveillance? Expert Rev Neurother 2020; 20:783-797. [PMID: 32133874 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2020.1739524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory, demyelinating, and neurodegenerative phenomena affect the spinal cord, with detrimental effects on patients' clinical disability. Although spinal cord imaging may be challenging, improvements in MRI technologies have contributed to better evaluate spinal cord involvement in MS. AREAS COVERED This review summarizes the current state-of-art of the application of conventional and advanced MRI techniques to evaluate spinal cord damage in MS. Typical features of spinal cord lesions, their role in the diagnostic work-up of suspected MS, their predictive role for subsequent disease course and clinical worsening, and their utility to define treatment response are discussed. The role of spinal cord atrophy and of other advanced MRI techniques to better evaluate the associations between spinal cord abnormalities and the accumulation of clinical disability are also evaluated. Finally, how spinal cord assessment could evolve in the future to improve monitoring of disease progression and treatment effects is examined. EXPERT OPINION Spinal cord MRI provides relevant additional information to brain MRI in understanding MS pathophysiology, in allowing an earlier and more accurate diagnosis of MS, and in identifying MS patients at higher risk to develop more severe disability. A future role in monitoring the effects of treatments is also foreseen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Rocca
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute , Milan, Italy.,Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute , Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Preziosa
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute , Milan, Italy.,Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute , Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute , Milan, Italy.,Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute , Milan, Italy.,Neurophysiology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute , Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University , Milan, Italy
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Generalised boundary shift integral for longitudinal assessment of spinal cord atrophy. Neuroimage 2019; 209:116489. [PMID: 31877375 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord atrophy measurements obtained from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are associated with disability in many neurological diseases and serve as in vivo biomarkers of neurodegeneration. Longitudinal spinal cord atrophy rate is commonly determined from the numerical difference between two volumes (based on 3D surface fitting) or two cross-sectional areas (CSA, based on 2D edge detection) obtained at different time-points. Being an indirect measure, atrophy rates are susceptible to variable segmentation errors at the edge of the spinal cord. To overcome those limitations, we developed a new registration-based pipeline that measures atrophy rates directly. We based our approach on the generalised boundary shift integral (GBSI) method, which registers 2 scans and uses a probabilistic XOR mask over the edge of the spinal cord, thereby measuring atrophy more accurately than segmentation-based techniques. Using a large cohort of longitudinal spinal cord images (610 subjects with multiple sclerosis from a multi-centre trial and 52 healthy controls), we demonstrated that GBSI is a sensitive, quantitative and objective measure of longitudinal spinal cord volume change. The GBSI pipeline is repeatable, reproducible, and provides more precise measurements of longitudinal spinal cord atrophy than segmentation-based methods in longitudinal spinal cord atrophy studies.
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Sample Size for Oxidative Stress and Inflammation When Treating Multiple Sclerosis with Interferon-β1a and Coenzyme Q10. Brain Sci 2019; 9:brainsci9100259. [PMID: 31569668 PMCID: PMC6826871 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9100259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying multiple sclerosis (MS) and its treatments requires the use of biomarkers for underlying pathological mechanisms. We aim to estimate the required sample size for detecting variations of biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. This is a post-hoc analysis on 60 relapsing-remitting MS patients treated with Interferon-β1a and Coenzyme Q10 for 3 months in an open-label crossover design over 6 months. At baseline and at the 3 and 6-month visits, we measured markers of scavenging activity, oxidative damage, and inflammation in the peripheral blood (180 measurements). Variations of laboratory measures (treatment effect) were estimated using mixed-effect linear regression models (including age, gender, disease duration, baseline expanded disability status scale (EDSS), and the duration of Interferon-β1a treatment as covariates; creatinine was also included for uric acid analyses), and were used for sample size calculations. Hypothesizing a clinical trial aiming to detect a 70% effect in 3 months (power = 80% alpha-error = 5%), the sample size per treatment arm would be 1 for interleukin (IL)-3 and IL-5, 4 for IL-7 and IL-2R, 6 for IL-13, 14 for IL-6, 22 for IL-8, 23 for IL-4, 25 for activation-normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), 26 for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, 27 for IL-1β, and 29 for uric acid. Peripheral biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation could be used in proof-of-concept studies to quickly screen the mechanisms of action of MS treatments.
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