Neuroimaging in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Pathological insights derived from neuroimaging in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: emerging clinical applications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Neuroimaging has been instrumental in shaping current understanding of the pathoanatomical signature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) across clinically well defined patient cohorts. The potential utility of imaging as an objective disease marker, however, remains poorly defined.

RECENT FINDINGS

Increasingly advanced quantitative and computational imaging studies have highlighted emerging clinical applications for neuroimaging as a complementary clinical modality for diagnosis, monitoring, and modelling disease propagation. Multimodal neuroimaging has demonstrated novel approaches for capturing primary motor disease. Extra-motor subcortical dysfunction is increasingly recognized as key modulators of disease propagation.

SUMMARY

The neural signature of cortical and subcortical dysfunction in ALS has been well defined at the population level. Objective metrics of focal primary motor dysfunction are increasingly sensitive and translatable to the individual patient level. Integrity of extra-motor subcortical abnormalities are recognized to represent critical pathways of the ALS disease 'connectome', predicting pathological spread. Neuroimaging plays a pivotal role in capturing upper motor neuron pathology in ALS. Their potential clinical role as objective disease markers for disease classification, longitudinal monitoring, and prognosis in ALS have become increasingly well defined.

Unraveling the complexity of human brain: Structure, function in healthy and disease states

The human brain stands as an intricate organ, embodying a nexus of structure, function, development, and diversity. This review delves into the multifaceted landscape of the brain, spanning its anatomical intricacies, diverse functional capacities, dynamic developmental trajectories, and inherent variability across individuals. The dynamic process of brain development, from early embryonic stages to adulthood, highlights the nuanced changes that occur throughout the lifespan. The brain, a remarkably complex organ, is composed of various anatomical regions, each contributing uniquely to its overall functionality. Through an exploration of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and electrophysiology, this review elucidates how different brain structures interact to support a wide array of cognitive processes, sensory perception, motor control, and emotional regulation. Moreover, it addresses the impact of age, sex, and ethnic background on brain structure and function, and gender differences profoundly influence the onset, progression, and manifestation of brain disorders shaped by genetic, hormonal, environmental, and social factors. Delving into the complexities of the human brain, it investigates how variations in anatomical configuration correspond to diverse functional capacities across individuals. Furthermore, it examines the impact of neurodegenerative diseases on the structural and functional integrity of the brain. Specifically, our article explores the pathological processes underlying neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases, shedding light on the structural alterations and functional impairments that accompany these conditions. We will also explore the current research trends in neurodegenerative diseases and identify the existing gaps in the literature. Overall, this article deepens our understanding of the fundamental principles governing brain structure and function and paves the way for a deeper understanding of individual differences and tailored approaches in neuroscience and clinical practice-additionally, a comprehensive understanding of structural and functional changes that manifest in neurodegenerative diseases.

Novel approaches to assessing upper motor neuron dysfunction in motor neuron disease/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: IFCN handbook chapter

Identifying upper motor neuron (UMN) dysfunction is fundamental to the diagnosis and understanding of disease pathogenesis in motor neuron disease (MND). The clinical assessment of UMN dysfunction may be difficult, particularly in the setting of severe muscle weakness. From a physiological perspective, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) techniques provide objective biomarkers of UMN dysfunction in MND and may also be useful to interrogate cortical and network function. Single, paired- and triple pulse TMS techniques have yielded novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in MND, and have provided important pathogenic insights, particularly pertaining to site of disease onset. Cortical hyperexcitability, as heralded by reduced short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and increased short interval intracortical facilitation, has been associated with the onset of lower motor neuron degeneration, along with patterns of disease spread, development of specific clinical features such as the split hand phenomenon, and may provide an indication about the rate of disease progression. Additionally, reduction of SICI has emerged as a potential diagnostic aid in MND. The triple stimulation technique (TST) was shown to enhance the diagnostic utility of conventional TMS measures in detecting UMN dysfunction in MND. Separately, sophisticated brain imaging techniques have uncovered novel biomarkers of neurodegeneration that have bene associated with progression. The present review will discuss the utility of TMS and brain neuroimaging derived biomarkers of UMN dysfunction in MND, focusing on recently developed TMS techniques and advanced neuroimaging modalities that interrogate structural and functional integrity of the corticomotoneuronal system, with an emphasis on pathogenic, diagnostic, and prognostic utility.

Mismatch between clinically defined classification of ALS stage and the burden of cerebral pathology

This study aimed to investigate the clinical stratification of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients in relation to in vivo cerebral degeneration. One hundred forty-nine ALS patients and one hundred forty-four healthy controls (HCs) were recruited from the Canadian ALS Neuroimaging Consortium (CALSNIC). Texture analysis was performed on T1-weighted scans to extract the texture feature "autocorrelation" (autoc), an imaging biomarker of cerebral degeneration. Patients were stratified at baseline into early and advanced disease stages based on criteria adapted from ALS clinical trials and the King's College staging system, as well as into slow and fast progressors (disease progression rates, DPR). Patients had increased autoc in the internal capsule. These changes extended beyond the internal capsule in early-stage patients (clinical trial-based criteria), fast progressors, and in advanced-stage patients (King's staging criteria). Longitudinal increases in autoc were observed in the postcentral gyrus, corticospinal tract, posterior cingulate cortex, and putamen; whereas decreases were observed in corpus callosum, caudate, central opercular cortex, and frontotemporal areas. Both longitudinal increases and decreases of autoc were observed in non-overlapping regions within insula and precentral gyrus. Within-criteria comparisons of autoc revealed more pronounced changes at baseline and longitudinally in early- (clinical trial-based criteria) and advanced-stage (King's staging criteria) patients and fast progressors. In summary, comparative patterns of baseline and longitudinal progression in cerebral degeneration are dependent on sub-group selection criteria, with clinical trial-based stratification insufficiently characterizing disease stage based on pathological cerebral burden.

Advances in molecular pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Although the past two decades have produced exciting discoveries in the genetics and pathology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progress in developing an effective therapy remains slow. This review summarizes the critical discoveries and outlines the advances in disease characterization, diagnosis, imaging, and biomarkers, along with the current status of approaches to ALS care and treatment. Additional knowledge of the factors driving disease progression and heterogeneity will hopefully soon transform the care for patients with ALS into an individualized, multi-prong approach able to prevent disease progression sufficiently to allow for a dignified life with limited disability.

Synaptic proteomics reveal distinct molecular signatures of cognitive change and C9ORF72 repeat expansion in the human ALS cortex

Increasing evidence suggests synaptic dysfunction is a central and possibly triggering factor in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Despite this, we still know very little about the molecular profile of an ALS synapse. To address this gap, we designed a synaptic proteomics experiment to perform an unbiased assessment of the synaptic proteome in the ALS brain. We isolated synaptoneurosomes from fresh-frozen post-mortem human cortex (11 controls and 18 ALS) and stratified the ALS group based on cognitive profile (Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS score)) and presence of a C9ORF72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion (C9ORF72-RE). This allowed us to assess regional differences and the impact of phenotype and genotype on the synaptic proteome, using Tandem Mass Tagging-based proteomics. We identified over 6000 proteins in our synaptoneurosomes and using robust bioinformatics analysis we validated the strong enrichment of synapses. We found more than 30 ALS-associated proteins in synaptoneurosomes, including TDP-43, FUS, SOD1 and C9ORF72. We identified almost 500 proteins with altered expression levels in ALS, with region-specific changes highlighting proteins and pathways with intriguing links to neurophysiology and pathology. Stratifying the ALS cohort by cognitive status revealed almost 150 specific alterations in cognitively impaired ALS synaptic preparations. Stratifying by C9ORF72-RE status revealed 330 protein alterations in the C9ORF72-RE +ve group, with KEGG pathway analysis highlighting strong enrichment for postsynaptic dysfunction, related to glutamatergic receptor signalling. We have validated some of these changes by western blot and at a single synapse level using array tomography imaging. In summary, we have generated the first unbiased map of the human ALS synaptic proteome, revealing novel insight into this key compartment in ALS pathophysiology and highlighting the influence of cognitive decline and C9ORF72-RE on synaptic composition.

Cortical and subcortical grey matter atrophy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis correlates with measures of disease accumulation independent of disease aggressiveness

There is a growing demand for reliable biomarkers to monitor disease progression in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) that also take the heterogeneity of ALS into account. In this study, we explored the association between Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-derived measures of cortical thickness (CT) and subcortical grey matter (GM) volume with D50 model parameters. T1-weighted MRI images of 72 Healthy Controls (HC) and 100 patients with ALS were analyzed using Surface-based Morphometry for cortical structures and Voxel-based Morphometry for subcortical Region-Of-Interest analyses using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12). In Inter-group contrasts, these parameters were compared between patients and HC. Further, the D50 model was used to conduct subgroup-analyses, dividing patients by a) Phase of disease covered at the time of MRI-scan and b) individual overall disease aggressiveness. Finally, correlations between GM and D50 model-derived parameters were examined. Inter-group analyses revealed ALS-related cortical thinning compared to HC located mainly in frontotemporal regions and a decrease in GM volume in the left hippocampus and amygdala. A comparison of patients in different phases showed further cortical and subcortical GM atrophy along with disease progression. Correspondingly, regression analyses identified negative correlations between cortical thickness and individual disease covered. However, there were no differences in CT and subcortical GM between patients with low and high disease aggressiveness. By application of the D50 model, we identified correlations between cortical and subcortical GM atrophy and ALS-related functional disability, but not with disease aggressiveness. This qualifies CT and subcortical GM volume as biomarkers representing individual disease covered to monitor therapeutic interventions in ALS.

The progressive loss of brain network fingerprints in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis predicts clinical impairment

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by functional connectivity alterations in both motor and extra-motor brain regions. Within the framework of network analysis, fingerprinting represents a reliable approach to assess subject-specific connectivity features within a given population (healthy or diseased). Here, we applied the Clinical Connectome Fingerprint (CCF) analysis to source-reconstructed magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals in a cohort of seventy-eight subjects: thirty-nine ALS patients and thirty-nine healthy controls. We set out to develop an identifiability matrix to assess the extent to which each patient was recognisable based on his/her connectome, as compared to healthy controls. The analysis was performed in the five canonical frequency bands. Then, we built a multilinear regression model to test the ability of the "clinical fingerprint" to predict the clinical evolution of the disease, as assessed by the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-r), the King's disease staging system, and the Milano-Torino Staging (MiToS) disease staging system. We found a drop in the identifiability of patients in the alpha band compared to the healthy controls. Furthermore, the "clinical fingerprint" was predictive of the ALSFRS-r (p = 0.0397; β = 32.8), the King's (p = 0.0001; β = -7.40), and the MiToS (p = 0.0025; β = -4.9) scores. Accordingly, it negatively correlated with the King's (Spearman's rho = -0.6041, p = 0.0003) and MiToS scales (Spearman's rho = -0.4953, p = 0.0040). Our results demonstrated the ability of the CCF approach to predict the individual motor impairment in patients affected by ALS. Given the subject-specificity of our approach, we hope to further exploit it to improve disease management.

T1 hyperintensity in the spinal cord: A diagnostic marker of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rare, devastating motor neuron disease characterized by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons causing muscular weakness, paralysis, and eventual death. MRI plays a supportive role in the diagnosis; its primary role is to exclude other clinical mimics. Some of the imaging features associated with ALS include hypointense signal along the motor cortices on susceptibility or T2*-weighted imaging and hyperintensity along the corticospinal tracts (CST) within the cerebral hemispheres, brainstem, and spinal cord on the T2 weighted imaging. In this report, we discuss the value of T1 hyperintensity along the CST, especially in the spinal cord.

Classification of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by brain volume, connectivity, and network dynamics

Emerging studies corroborate the importance of neuroimaging biomarkers and machine learning to improve diagnostic classification of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While most studies focus on structural data, recent studies assessing functional connectivity between brain regions by linear methods highlight the role of brain function. These studies have yet to be combined with brain structure and nonlinear functional features. We investigate the role of linear and nonlinear functional brain features, and the benefit of combining brain structure and function for ALS classification. ALS patients (N = 97) and healthy controls (N = 59) underwent structural and functional resting state magnetic resonance imaging. Based on key hubs of resting state networks, we defined three feature sets comprising brain volume, resting state functional connectivity (rsFC), as well as (nonlinear) resting state dynamics assessed via recurrent neural networks. Unimodal and multimodal random forest classifiers were built to classify ALS. Out-of-sample prediction errors were assessed via five-fold cross-validation. Unimodal classifiers achieved a classification accuracy of 56.35-61.66%. Multimodal classifiers outperformed unimodal classifiers achieving accuracies of 62.85-66.82%. Evaluating the ranking of individual features' importance scores across all classifiers revealed that rsFC features were most dominant in classification. While univariate analyses revealed reduced rsFC in ALS patients, functional features more generally indicated deficits in information integration across resting state brain networks in ALS. The present work undermines that combining brain structure and function provides an additional benefit to diagnostic classification, as indicated by multimodal classifiers, while emphasizing the importance of capturing both linear and nonlinear functional brain properties to identify discriminative biomarkers of ALS.

Cortical hyperexcitability: Diagnostic and pathogenic biomarker of ALS

Cortical hyperexcitability is an early and intrinsic feature of both sporadic and familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).. Importantly, cortical hyperexcitability appears to be associated with motor neuron degeneration, possibly via an anterograde glutamate-mediated excitotoxic process, thereby forming a pathogenic basis for ALS. The presence of cortical hyperexcitability in ALS patients may be readily determined by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a neurophysiological tool that provides a non-invasive and painless method for assessing cortical function. Utilising the threshold tracking TMS technique, cortical hyperexcitability has been established as a robust diagnostic biomarker that distinguished ALS from mimicking disorders at early stages of the disease process. The present review discusses the pathophysiological and diagnostic utility of cortical hyperexcitability in ALS.

Ultra-high field (7T) functional magnetic resonance imaging in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a pilot study

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Participants with ALS exhibited impaired function between the cortex and cerebellum.

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The cerebellum is associated with complex motor and cognitive processing tasks.

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These findings add to the growing number of ALS reports implicating the cerebellum.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that results in a progressive loss of motor function and ultimately death. It is critical, yet also challenging, to develop non-invasive biomarkers to identify, localize, measure and/or track biological mechanisms implicated in ALS. Such biomarkers may also provide clues to identify potential molecular targets for future therapeutic trials. Herein we report on a pilot study involving twelve participants with ALS and nine age-matched healthy controls who underwent high-resolution resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging at an ultra-high field of 7 Tesla. A group-level whole-brain analysis revealed a disruption in long-range functional connectivity between the superior sensorimotor cortex (in the precentral gyrus) and bilateral cerebellar lobule VI. Post hoc analyses using atlas-derived left and right cerebellar lobule VI revealed decreased functional connectivity in ALS participants that predominantly mapped to bilateral postcentral and precentral gyri. Cerebellar lobule VI is a transition zone between anterior motor networks and posterior non-motor networks in the cerebellum, and is associated with a wide range of key functions including complex motor and cognitive processing tasks. Our observation of the involvement of cerebellar lobule VI adds to the growing number of studies implicating the cerebellum in ALS. Future avenues of scientific investigation should consider how high-resolution imaging at 7T may be leveraged to visualize differences in functional connectivity disturbances in various genotypes and phenotypes of ALS along the ALS-frontotemporal dementia spectrum.

The Dying Forward Hypothesis of ALS: Tracing Its History

The site of origin of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), although unsettled, is increasingly recognized as being cortico-fugal, which is a dying-forward process primarily starting in the corticomotoneuronal system. A variety of iterations of this concept date back to over 150 years. Recently, the hallmark TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology, seen in >95% of patients with ALS, has been shown to be largely restricted to corticofugal projecting neurons (“dying forward”). Possibly, soluble but toxic cytoplasmic TDP-43 could enter the axoplasm of Betz cells, subsequently causing dysregulation of nuclear protein in the lower brainstem and spinal cord anterior horn cells. As the disease progresses, cortical involvement in ALS becomes widespread, including or starting with frontotemporal dementia, implying a broader view of ALS as a brain disease. The onset at the motor and premotor cortices should be considered a nidus at the edge of multiple cortical networks which eventually become disrupted, causing failure of a widespread cortical connectome.

Structural and functional underpinnings of precentral abnormalities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of both upper and lower motor neurons. Studies using various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analytical approaches have consistently identified significant precentral abnormalities in ALS, whereas their structural and functional underpinnings remain poorly understood.

METHODS

Using cortical thickness, fractional anisotropy (FA), and effective connectivity, we performed a multimodal MRI study to examine the structural and functional alterations associated with precentral abnormalities in patients with ALS (n = 60) compared with healthy controls (n = 60).

RESULTS

Cortical thickness analysis revealed significant cortical thinning in the right precentral gyrus (PCG), superior frontal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus in patients with ALS. Tractwise white matter microstructure analyses revealed decreased FA in the tracts connected to the PCG cluster in patients with ALS involving the right corticospinal tract and the middle posterior body of the corpus callosum. Additionally, the cortical thickness of the PCG cluster was found to be positively correlated with FA of the tracts connected to the PCG cluster, suggesting that these two structural features are tightly coupled. Using spectral dynamic causal modelling, effective connectivity analysis among the three regions with cortical thinning revealed decreased self-inhibitory influence in the PCG cluster in patients with ALS, which might be an endophenotypic manifestation of an imbalance in inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in this region.

CONCLUSIONS

The present data shed new light on the structural and functional underpinnings of precentral abnormalities in ALS.

Fiber-specific white matter reductions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of both upper and lower motor neurons. Studies using metrics derived from the diffusion tensor model have documented decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased mean diffusivity in the corticospinal tract (CST) and the corpus callosum (CC) in ALS. These studies, however, only focused on microstructural white matter (WM) changes, while the macrostructural alterations of WM tracts in ALS remain unknown. Moreover, studies conducted based on the diffusion tensor model cannot provide information related to specific fiber bundles and fail to clarify which biological characteristics are changing. Using a novel fixel-based analytical method that can characterize the fiber density (FD) and the fiber-bundle cross-section (FC), this study investigated both microstructural and macrostructural changes in the WM in a large cohort of patients with ALS (N = 60) compared with demographically matched healthy controls (N = 60). Compared with healthy controls, we found decreased FD, FC and fiber density and cross-section (FDC, a combined measure of the FD and FC) values in the bilateral CST and the middle posterior body of the CC in patients with ALS, suggesting not only microstructural but also macrostructural abnormalities in these fiber bundles. Additionally, we found that the mean FD and FDC values in the bilateral CST were positively correlated with the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale, indicating that these two indices may serve as potential markers for assessing the clinical severity of ALS. Thus, these findings provide initial evidence for the existence of microstructural and macrostructural abnormalities of the fiber bundles in ALS.

Neuroimaging in primary lateral sclerosis

Increased interest in the underlying pathogenesis of primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) and its relationship to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has corresponded to a growing number of CNS imaging studies, especially in the past decade. Both its rarity and uncertainty of definite diagnosis prior to 4 years from symptom onset have resulted in PLS being less studied than ALS. In this review, we highlight most relevant papers applying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and positron emission tomography (PET) to analyzing CNS changes in PLS, often in relation to ALS. In patients with PLS, mostly brain, but also spinal cord has been evaluated since significant neurodegeneration is essentially restricted to upper motor neuron (UMN) structures and related pathways. Abnormalities of cortex and subcortical white matter tracts have been identified by structural and functional MRI and MRS studies, while metabolic and cell-specific changes in PLS brain have been revealed using various PET radiotracers. Future neuroimaging studies will continue to explore the interface between the PLS-ALS continuum, identify more changes unique to PLS, apply novel MRI and MRS sequences showing greater structural and neurochemical detail, as well as expand the repertoire of PET radiotracers that reveal various cellular pathologies. Neuroimaging has the potential to play an important role in the evaluation of novel therapies for patients with PLS.

Towards an Accessible Use of a Brain-Computer Interfaces-Based Home Care System through a Smartphone

This study proposes a home care system (HCS) based on a brain-computer interface (BCI) with a smartphone. The HCS provides daily help to motor-disabled people when a caregiver is not present. The aim of the study is two-fold: (1) to develop a BCI-based home care system to help end-users control their household appliances, and (2) to assess whether the architecture of the HCS is easy for motor-disabled people to use. A motion-strip is used to evoke event-related potentials (ERPs) in the brain of the user, and the system immediately processes these potentials to decode the user's intentions. The system, then, translates these intentions into application commands and sends them via Bluetooth to the user's smartphone to make an emergency call or to execute the corresponding app to emit an infrared (IR) signal to control a household appliance. Fifteen healthy and seven motor-disabled subjects (including the one with ALS) participated in the experiment. The average online accuracy was 81.8% and 78.1%, respectively. Using component N2P3 to discriminate targets from nontargets can increase the efficiency of the system. Results showed that the system allows end-users to use smartphone apps as long as they are using their brain waves. More important, only one electrode O1 is required to measure EEG signals, giving the system good practical usability. The HCS can, thus, improve the autonomy and self-reliance of its end-users.

A prospective harmonized multicenter DTI study of cerebral white matter degeneration in ALS

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate progressive white matter (WM) degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

METHODS

Sixty-six patients with ALS and 43 healthy controls were enrolled in a prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study in the Canadian ALS Neuroimaging Consortium (CALSNIC). Participants underwent a harmonized neuroimaging protocol across 4 centers that included diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for assessment of WM integrity. Three visits were accompanied by clinical assessments of disability (ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised [ALSFRS-R]) and upper motor neuron (UMN) function. Voxel-wise whole-brain and quantitative tract-wise DTI assessments were done at baseline and longitudinally. Correction for site variance incorporated data from healthy controls and from healthy volunteers who underwent the DTI protocol at each center.

RESULTS

Patients with ALS had a mean progressive decline in fractional anisotropy (FA) of the corticospinal tract (CST) and frontal lobes. Tract-wise analysis revealed reduced FA in the CST, corticopontine/corticorubral tract, and corticostriatal tract. CST FA correlated with UMN function, and frontal lobe FA correlated with the ALSFRS-R score. A progressive decline in CST FA correlated with a decline in the ALSFRS-R score and worsening UMN signs. Patients with fast vs slow progression had a greater reduction in FA of the CST and upper frontal lobe.

CONCLUSIONS

Progressive WM degeneration in ALS is most prominent in the CST and frontal lobes and, to a lesser degree, in the corticopontine/corticorubral tracts and corticostriatal pathways. With the use of a harmonized imaging protocol and incorporation of analytic methods to address site-related variances, this study is an important milestone toward developing DTI biomarkers for cerebral degeneration in ALS.

CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER

NCT02405182.

Localization of Brain Networks Engaged by the Sustained Attention to Response Task Provides Quantitative Markers of Executive Impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Objective: To identify cortical regions engaged during the sustained attention to response task (SART) and characterize changes in their activity associated with the neurodegenerative condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: High-density electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from 33 controls and 23 ALS patients during a SART paradigm. Differences in associated event-related potential peaks were measured for Go and NoGo trials. Sources active during these peaks were localized, and ALS-associated differences were quantified. Results: Go and NoGo N2 and P3 peak sources were localized to the left primary motor cortex, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and lateral posterior parietal cortex (PPC). NoGo trials evoked greater bilateral medial PPC activity during N2 and lesser left insular, PPC and DLPFC activity during P3. Widespread cortical hyperactivity was identified in ALS during P3. Changes in the inferior parietal lobule and insular activity provided very good discrimination (AUROC > 0.75) between patients and controls. Activation of the right precuneus during P3 related to greater executive function in ALS, indicative of a compensatory role. Interpretation: The SART engages numerous frontal and parietal cortical structures. SART–EEG measures correlate with specific cognitive impairments that can be localized to specific structures, aiding in differential diagnosis.

The vulnerability of motor and frontal cortex-dependent behaviors in mice expressing ALS-linked mutation in TDP-43

TDP-43 aggregates are the defining pathological hallmark for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Strikingly, these TDP-43 proteinopathies are also found in other neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and are prevalent in the brains of old-aged humans. Furthermore, disease-causal mutations in TDP-43 have been identified for ALS and FTD. Collectively, the evidence indicates that TDP-43 dysfunctions lead to motor and cognitive deficits. To determine whether the mouse line expressing an ALS-linked mutation in TDP-43 (Q331K) can be used to study ALS-FTD spectrum disorders, we performed a systematic and longitudinal behavioral assessment that covered motor and cognitive functions. Deficits in motor and cognitive abilities were observed as early as 3 months of age and persisted through to 12 months of age. Within the cognitive modalities, the hippocampus-mediated spatial learning and memory, and contextual fear conditioning, were normal; whereas the frontal cortex-mediated working memory and cognitive flexibility were impaired. Biochemically, the human TDP-43 transgene downregulates endogenous mouse TDP-43 mRNA and protein, resulting in human TDP-43 protein that is comparable with the physiological level in cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Furthermore, Q331K TDP-43 is largely retained at the nucleus without apparent aggregates. Taken together, our data suggest that motor and frontal cortex may be more vulnerable to disease-linked mutation in TDP-43 and, this mouse model may be used to assess ALS-FTD-related spectrum diseases and the molecular underpinnings associated with the phenotypes.

Advanced neuroimaging approaches in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: refining the clinical diagnosis

Introduction: In the last decade, multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has achieved tremendous advances in applications to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to increase the understanding of the associated pathophysiology. The aim of this review is to summarize recent progress in the development of MRI-based techniques aiming to support the clinical diagnosis in ALS.Areas covered: The review of structural and functional MRI applications to ALS and its variants (restricted phenotypes) is focused on the potential of MRI techniques which contribute to the diagnostic work-up of patients with the clinical presentation of a motor neuron disease. The potential of specific MRI methods for patient diagnosis and monitoring is discussed, and the future design of clinical MRI applications to ALS is conceptualized.Expert opinion: Current multiparametric MRI allows for the use as a clinical biological marker and a technical instrument in the clinical diagnosis of patients with ALS and also of patients with ALS variants. Composite neuroimaging indices of specific anatomical areas derived from different MRI techniques might guide in the diagnostic applications to ALS. Such a development of ALS-specific MRI-based composite scores with sufficient discriminative power versus ALS mimics at an individual level requires standardized advanced protocols and comprehensive analysis approaches.

Brainstem pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and primary lateral sclerosis: A longitudinal neuroimaging study

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Computational neuroimaging captures focal brainstem pathology in motor neuron diseases in contrast to both healthy- and disease controls.

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ALS patients exhibit progressive medulla oblongata, pontine and mesencephalic volume loss over time.

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Brainstem atrophy in ALS and PLS is dominated by medulla oblongata volume reductions.

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Vertex analyses of ALS patients reveal flattening of the medullary pyramids bilaterally.

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Morphometric analyses in ALS detect density reductions in the mesencephalic crura consistent with corticospinal tract degeneration.

Background

Brainstem pathology is a hallmark feature of ALS, yet most imaging studies focus on cortical grey matter alterations and internal capsule white matter pathology. Brainstem imaging in ALS provides a unique opportunity to appraise descending motor tract degeneration and bulbar lower motor neuron involvement.

Methods

A prospective longitudinal imaging study has been undertaken with 100 patients with ALS, 33 patients with PLS, 30 patients with FTD and 100 healthy controls. Volumetric, vertex and morphometric analyses were conducted correcting for demographic factors to characterise disease-specific patterns of brainstem pathology. Using a Bayesian segmentation algorithm, the brainstem was segmented into the medulla, pons and mesencephalon to measure regional volume reductions, shape analyses were performed to ascertain the atrophy profile of each study group and region-of-interest morphometry was used to evaluate focal density alterations.

Results

ALS and PLS patients exhibit considerable brainstem atrophy compared to both disease- and healthy controls. Volume reductions in ALS and PLS are dominated by medulla oblongata pathology, but pontine atrophy can also be detected. In ALS, vertex analyses confirm the flattening of the medullary pyramids bilaterally in comparison to healthy controls and widespread pontine shape deformations in contrast to PLS. The ALS cohort exhibit bilateral density reductions in the mesencephalic crura in contrast to healthy controls, central pontine atrophy compared to disease controls, peri-aqueduct mesencephalic and posterior pontine changes in comparison to PLS patients.

Conclus

ions: Computational brainstem imaging captures the degeneration of both white and grey matter components in ALS. Our longitudinal data indicate progressive brainstem atrophy over time, underlining the biomarker potential of quantitative brainstem measures in ALS. At a time when a multitude of clinical trials are underway worldwide, there is an unprecedented need for accurate biomarkers to monitor disease progression and detect response to therapy. Brainstem imaging is a promising addition to candidate biomarkers of ALS and PLS.

Prognostic analysis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on clinical features and plasma surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with a wide range of survival times. We aimed to explore prognostic factors related to short survival based on clinical features and plasma metabolic signatures using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). One hundred and thirty-eight sporadic ALS cases were enrolled serially, including 62 for the short-duration group (≤3 years) and 76 for the long-duration group (>3 years). Multivariate analysis showed that an older age of onset (>60 years; odds ratio [OR] = 3.98, 95% CI: 1.09-14.53), lower body mass index (BMI) (<18.5; OR = 6.80, 95% CI: 1.36-33.92), and lower ALSFRS-R score (<35; OR = 6.03, 95% CI: 1.42-25.63) were associated with higher odds of tracheotomy or death, while a higher uric acid (UA) level showed a protective effect (>356.36 μmol/L; OR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.05-0.73). SERS analysis showed significant differences between the two groups, and pathway analysis highlighted five main metabolic pathways, including metabolisms of glutathione, pyrimidine, phenylalanine, galactose, and phenylalanine-tyrosine-tryptophan biosynthesis. In conclusion, age of onset, BMI, ALSFRS-R score and UA, together with dysregulation of glucose, amino acid, nucleic acid, and antioxidant metabolism contributed to disease progression, and are therefore potential therapeutic targets for ALS.

The clinical and radiological profile of primary lateral sclerosis: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Primary lateral sclerosis is a progressive upper-motor-neuron disorder associated with markedly longer survival than ALS. In contrast to ALS, the genetic susceptibility, histopathological profile and imaging signature of PLS are poorly characterised. Suspected PLS patients often face considerable diagnostic delay and prognostic uncertainty.

OBJECTIVE

To characterise the distinguishing clinical, genetic and imaging features of PLS in contrast to ALS and healthy controls.

METHODS

A prospective population-based study was conducted with 49 PLS patients, 100 ALS patients and 100 healthy controls using genetic profiling, standardised clinical assessments and neuroimaging. Whole-brain and region-of-interest analyses were undertaken to evaluate patterns of grey and white matter degeneration.

RESULTS

In PLS, disease burden in the motor cortex is more medial than in ALS consistent with its lower limb symptom-predominance. PLS is associated with considerable cerebellar white and grey matter degeneration and the extra-motor profile of PLS includes marked insular, inferior frontal and left pars opercularis pathology. Contrary to ALS, PLS spares the postcentral gyrus. The body and splenium of the corpus callosum are preferentially affected in PLS, in contrast to the genu involvement observed in ALS. Clinical measures show anatomically meaningful correlations with imaging metrics in a somatotopic distribution. PLS patients tested negative for C9orf72 repeat expansions, known ALS and HSP-associated genes.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiparametric imaging in PLS highlights disease-specific motor and extra-motor involvement distinct from ALS. In a condition where limited post-mortem data are available, imaging offers invaluable pathological insights. Anatomical correlations with clinical metrics confirm the biomarker potential of quantitative neuroimaging in PLS.

The Appropriate Marker for Astrocytes: Comparing the Distribution and Expression of Three Astrocytic Markers in Different Mouse Cerebral Regions

Astrocytes possess different morphological characteristics depending on the cerebral region in which they are found. However, none of the current astrocytic markers can label all subpopulations successfully. Thus, identifying the appropriate marker for a specific scientific investigation is critical. Here, we compared the distribution and protein expression of three astrocyte markers: NDRG2, GFAP, and S100β, in the cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus. NDRG2- and S100β-positive astrocytes were distributed more uniformly than GFAP-positive astrocytes throughout the whole cerebrum. NDRG2 and S100β immunoreactivities were the strongest in the dorsal cortex and thalamus, while GFAP immunoreactivity was the strongest in the hippocampus. Moreover, protein expression levels of NDRG2, GFAP, and S100β in adult mice were the highest in the cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus, respectively. We also detected astrocyte morphology and found that, in the corpus callosum and cerebral peduncle, GFAP-positive astrocytes were found with more numerous and longer processes than NDRG2- and S100β-positive astrocytes. These results demonstrate that NDRG2 and S100β are more suitably used to visualize the overall distribution and changes in the number of astrocytes, as well as label astrocytes in the cortex and thalamus. GFAP, however, is more appropriately used to label astrocytes in the corpus callosum, cerebral peduncle, and the hippocampus. These results help to guide researchers in the choice of appropriate astrocyte marker and suggest differences in immunological qualities of astrocytes based on the tissue in which they are found.

Tracking a Fast-Moving Disease: Longitudinal Markers, Monitoring, and Clinical Trial Endpoints in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) encompasses a heterogeneous group of phenotypes with different progression rates, varying degree of extra-motor involvement and divergent progression patterns. The natural history of ALS is increasingly evaluated by large, multi-time point longitudinal studies, many of which now incorporate presymptomatic and post-mortem assessments. These studies not only have the potential to characterize patterns of anatomical propagation, molecular mechanisms of disease spread, but also to identify pragmatic monitoring markers. Sensitive markers of progressive neurodegenerative change are indispensable for clinical trials and individualized patient care. Biofluid markers, neuroimaging indices, electrophysiological markers, rating scales, questionnaires, and other disease-specific instruments have divergent sensitivity profiles. The discussion of candidate monitoring markers in ALS has a dual academic and clinical relevance, and is particularly timely given the increasing number of pharmacological trials. The objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive and critical review of longitudinal studies in ALS, focusing on the sensitivity profile of established and emerging monitoring markers.

Gray and white matter changes in presymptomatic genetic frontotemporal dementia: a longitudinal MRI study

In genetic frontotemporal dementia, cross-sectional studies have identified profiles of presymptomatic neuroanatomical loss for C9orf72 repeat expansion, MAPT, and GRN mutations. In this study, we characterize longitudinal gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) brain changes in presymptomatic frontotemporal dementia. We included healthy carriers of C9orf72 repeat expansion (n = 12), MAPT (n = 15), GRN (n = 33) mutations, and related noncarriers (n = 53), that underwent magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and 2-year follow-up. We analyzed cross-sectional baseline, follow-up, and longitudinal GM and WM changes using voxel-based morphometry and cortical thickness analysis in SPM and tract-based spatial statistics in FSL. Compared with noncarriers, C9orf72 repeat expansion carriers showed lower GM volume in the cerebellum and insula, and WM differences in the anterior thalamic radiation, at baseline and follow-up. MAPT mutation carriers showed emerging GM temporal lobe changes and longitudinal WM degeneration of the uncinate fasciculus. GRN mutation carriers did not show presymptomatic neurodegeneration. This study shows distinct presymptomatic cross-sectional and longitudinal patterns of GM and WM changes across C9orf72 repeat expansion, MAPT, and GRN mutation carriers compared with noncarriers.

Emerging Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques and Analysis Methods in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Objective markers of disease sensitive to the clinical activity, symptomatic progression, and underlying substrates of neurodegeneration are highly coveted in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in order to more eloquently stratify the highly heterogeneous phenotype and facilitate the discovery of effective disease modifying treatments for patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising, non-invasive biomarker candidate whose acquisition techniques and analysis methods are undergoing constant evolution in the pursuit of parameters which more closely represent biologically-applicable tissue changes. Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI; a form of diffusion imaging), and quantitative Magnetization Transfer Imaging (qMTi) are two such emerging modalities which have each broadened the understanding of other neurological disorders and have the potential to provide new insights into structural alterations initiated by the disease process in ALS. Furthermore, novel neuroimaging data analysis approaches such as Event-Based Modeling (EBM) may be able to circumvent the requirement for longitudinal scanning as a means to comprehend the dynamic stages of neurodegeneration in vivo. Combining these and other innovative imaging protocols with more sophisticated techniques to analyse ever-increasing datasets holds the exciting prospect of transforming understanding of the biological processes and temporal evolution of the ALS syndrome, and can only benefit from multicentre collaboration across the entire ALS research community.

Imaging Biomarkers for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases. The Example of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The term amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) comprises a heterogeneous group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders of largely unknown etiology characterized by the upper motor neurons (UMN) and/or lower motor neurons (LMN) degeneration. The development of brain imaging biomarkers is essential to advance in the diagnosis, stratification and monitoring of ALS, both in the clinical practice and clinical trials. In this review, the characteristics of an optimal imaging biomarker and common pitfalls in biomarkers evaluation will be discussed. Moreover, the development and application of the most promising brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging biomarkers will be reviewed. Finally, the integration of both qualitative and quantitative multimodal brain MR biomarkers in a structured report will be proposed as a support tool for ALS diagnosis and stratification.

MRI-Based Mapping of Cerebral Propagation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Neuropathological studies revealed the propagation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a sequence of four separate disease-related regional patterns. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based analysis was established for the individual mapping of sequential disease spreading in ALS as the in vivo transfer to neuroimaging. The aim of this review is to summarize cross-sectional and longitudinal results of these technical approaches in ALS as an in vivo tool to image ALS propagation stages. This concept was also applied to restricted phenotypes of ALS, e.g., lower motor neuron disease (LMND) or primary lateral sclerosis (PLS). In summary, the regional disease patterns in the course of ALS have been successfully mapped by DTI in vivo both cross-sectionally and longitudinally so that this technique might have the potential as a read-out in clinical trials.

The effects of variations in tissue microstructure from postmortem rat brain on the asymmetry of the water proton resonance

PURPOSE

This work was performed to investigate the effects of tissue microstructure from postmortem rat brain on the shape of the water proton spectrum.

METHODS

Perfusion-fixed, resected rat brains (N = 4) were imaged at 9.4T. 3D DTI and 3D echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) data were acquired with 150 μm isotropic resolution. DTI data were acquired over 60 directions with b = 3000 s/mm² . Water spectra were produced from EPSI data acquired over 128 echoes, with 2.9 Hz spectral resolution. A voxel-wise metric reflecting spectral asymmetry about the peak of the resonance was computed and compared with orientation estimates from DTI data by fitting data with the susceptibility anisotropy model.

RESULTS

Asymmetric broadening of the water resonance was computed for mixed populations of grey and/or white matter as determined by thresholding the fractional anisotropy. Asymmetry was shown to be differentially affected by tract orientation relative to B₀ in high FA voxels, whereas low FA voxels exhibited little sensitivity. Anatomic structures in the hippocampus were also found to produce distinct changes in the water resonance.

CONCLUSION

Present results demonstrate that structural variations in tissue architecture cause characteristic, reproducible changes in the water resonance shape. This suggests that water spectra are sensitive to cytoarchitectural variations in brain tissue.

The Clinical and Radiological Spectrum of Hippocampal Pathology in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Hippocampal pathology in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) remains surprisingly under recognized despite compelling evidence from neuropsychology, neuroimaging and neuropathology studies. Hippocampal dysfunction contributes significantly to the clinical heterogeneity of ALS and requires structure-specific cognitive and neuroimaging tools for accurate in vivo evaluation. Recent imaging studies have generated unprecedented insights into the presymptomatic and longitudinal processes affecting this structure and have contributed to the characterisation of both focal and network-level changes. Emerging neuropsychology data suggest that memory deficits in ALS may be independent from executive dysfunction. In the era of precision medicine, where the development of individualized care strategies and patient stratification for clinical trials are key priorities, the comprehensive review of hippocampal dysfunction in ALS is particularly timely.

Implications of structural and functional brain changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

INTRODUCTION

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and disability, eventually leading to death. Heterogeneity of disease has become a major barrier to understanding key clinical questions such as prognosis and disease spread, and has disadvantaged clinical trials in search of therapeutic intervention. Patterns of disease have been explored through recent advances in neuroimaging, elucidating structural, molecular and functional changes. Unique brain signatures have emerged that have lent a greater understanding of critical disease mechanisms, offering opportunities to improve diagnosis, guide prognosis, and establish candidate biomarkers to direct future therapeutic strategies. Areas covered: This review explores patterns of cortical and subcortical change in ALS through advanced neuroimaging techniques and discusses the implications of these findings. Expert commentary: Cortical and subcortical signatures and patterns of atrophy are now consistently recognised, providing important pathophysiological insight into this heterogenous disease. The spread of cortical change, particularly involving frontotemporal networks, correlates with cognitive impairment and poorer prognosis. Cortical differences are also evident between ALS phenotypes and genotypes, which may partly explain the heterogeneity of prognosis. Ultimately, multimodal approaches with larger cohorts will be needed to provide sensitive biomarkers of disease spread at the level of the individual patient.

Synapse loss in the prefrontal cortex is associated with cognitive decline in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

In addition to motor neurone degeneration, up to 50% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients present with cognitive decline. Understanding the neurobiological changes underlying these cognitive deficits is critical, as cognitively impaired patients exhibit a shorter survival time from symptom onset. Given the pathogenic role of synapse loss in other neurodegenerative diseases in which cognitive decline is apparent, such as Alzheimer’s disease, we aimed to assess synaptic integrity in the ALS brain. Here, we have applied a unique combination of high-resolution imaging of post-mortem tissue with neuropathology, genetic screening and cognitive profiling of ALS cases. Analyses of more than 1 million synapses using two complimentary high-resolution techniques (electron microscopy and array tomography) revealed a loss of synapses from the prefrontal cortex of ALS patients. Importantly, synapse loss was significantly greater in cognitively impaired cases and was not due to cortical atrophy, nor associated with dementia-associated neuropathology. Interestingly, we found a trend between pTDP-43 pathology and synapse loss in the frontal cortex and discovered pTDP-43 puncta at a subset of synapses in the ALS brains. From these data, we postulate that synapse loss in the prefrontal cortex represents an underlying neurobiological substrate of cognitive decline in ALS.

Longitudinal Diffusion Tensor Imaging-Based Assessment of Tract Alterations: An Application to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Objective: The potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a technical biomarker for cerebral microstructural alterations in neurodegenerative diseases is under investigation. In this study, a framework for the longitudinal analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based mapping was applied to the assessment of predefined white matter tracts in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as an example for a rapid progressive neurodegenerative disease.

Methods: DTI was performed every 3 months in six patients with ALS (mean (M) = 7.7; range 3 to 15 scans) and in six controls (M = 3; range 2–5 scans) with the identical scanning protocol, resulting in a total of 65 longitudinal DTI datasets. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axonal diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), and the ratio AD/RD were studied to analyze alterations within the corticospinal tract (CST) which is a prominently affected tract structure in ALS and the tract correlating with Braak’s neuropathological stage 1. A correlation analysis was performed between progression rates based on DTI metrics and the revised ALS functional rating scale (ALS-FRS-R).

Results: Patients with ALS showed an FA and AD/RD decline along the CST, while DTI metrics of controls did not change in longitudinal DTI scans. The FA and AD/RD decrease progression correlated significantly with ALS-FRS-R decrease progression.

Conclusion: On the basis of the longitudinal assessment, DTI-based metrics can be considered as a possible noninvasive follow-up marker for disease progression in neurodegeneration. This finding was demonstrated here for ALS as a fast progressing neurodegenerative disease.

Cortical influences drive amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The early motor manifestations of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), while rarely documented, reflect failure of adaptive complex motor skills. The development of these skills correlates with progressive evolution of a direct corticomotoneuronal system that is unique to primates and markedly enhanced in humans. The failure of this system in ALS may translate into the split hand presentation, gait disturbance, split leg syndrome and bulbar symptomatology related to vocalisation and breathing, and possibly diffuse fasciculation, characteristic of ALS. Clinical neurophysiology of the brain employing transcranial magnetic stimulation has convincingly demonstrated a presymptomatic reduction or absence of short interval intracortical inhibition, accompanied by increased intracortical facilitation, indicating cortical hyperexcitability. The hallmark of the TDP-43 pathological signature of sporadic ALS is restricted to cortical areas as well as to subcortical nuclei that are under the direct control of corticofugal projections. This provides anatomical support that the origins of the TDP-43 pathology reside in the cerebral cortex itself, secondarily in corticofugal fibres and the subcortical targets with which they make monosynaptic connections. The latter feature explains the multisystem degeneration that characterises ALS. Consideration of ALS as a primary neurodegenerative disorder of the human brain may incorporate concepts of prion-like spread at synaptic terminals of corticofugal axons. Further, such a concept could explain the recognised widespread imaging abnormalities of the ALS neocortex and the accepted relationship between ALS and frontotemporal dementia.

Quantitative Muscle Ultrasonography Using Textural Analysis in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The purpose of this study was to analyze differences in gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) parameters, as assessed by muscle ultrasound (MUS), between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and healthy controls, and to compare the diagnostic accuracy of these GLCM parameters with first-order MUS parameters (echointensity [EI], echovariation [EV], and muscle thickness [MTh]) in different muscle groups. Twenty-six patients with ALS and 26 healthy subjects underwent bilateral and transverse ultrasound of the biceps/brachialis, forearm flexor, quadriceps femoris, and tibialis anterior muscle groups. MTh was measured with electronic calipers, and EI, EV, and GLCM were obtained using Image J (v.1.48) software. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and area under the curve (AUC) were performed by logistic regression models and receiver operating characteristic curves. GLCM parameters showed reduced granularity in the muscles of ALS patients compared with the controls. Regarding the discrimination capacity, the best single diagnostic parameter in forearm flexors and quadriceps was GLCM and in biceps brachialis and tibialis anterior was EV. The respective combination of these two parameters with MTh resulted in the best AUC (over 90% in all muscle groups and close to the maximum combination model). The use of new textural parameters (EV and GLCM) combined with usual quantitative MUS variables is a promising biomarker in ALS.

Quantitative FLAIR MRI in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hyperintensity assessed visually in the corticospinal tract (CST) lacks sensitivity for a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We sought to explore a quantitative approach to fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI intensity across a range of ALS phenotypes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-three classical ALS patients, 10 with a flail arm presentation, and six with primary lateral sclerosis underwent MRI at 3 Tesla. Comparisons of quantitative FLAIR intensity in the CST and corpus callosum were made between 21 healthy controls and within patient phenotypic subgroups, some of whom were studied longitudinally.

RESULTS

Mean FLAIR intensity was greater in patient groups. The cerebral peduncle intensity provided the strongest subgroup classification. FLAIR intensity increased longitudinally. The rate of change of FLAIR within CST correlated with rate of decline in executive function and ALS functional rating score.

CONCLUSIONS

FLAIR MRI encodes quantifiable information of potential diagnostic, stratification, and monitoring value.

Virtual brain biopsies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Diagnostic classification based on in vivo pathological patterns

Background

Diagnostic uncertainty in ALS has serious management implications and delays recruitment into clinical trials. Emerging evidence of presymptomatic disease-burden provides the rationale to develop diagnostic applications based on the evaluation of in-vivo pathological patterns early in the disease.

Objectives

To outline and test a diagnostic classification approach based on an array of complementary imaging metrics in key disease-associated anatomical structures.

Methods

Data from 75 ALS patients and 75 healthy controls were randomly allocated in a ‘training’ and ‘validation’ cohort. Spatial masks were created for anatomical foci which best discriminate patients from controls in the ‘training sample’. In a virtual ‘brain biopsy’, data was then retrieved from these key disease-associated brain regions. White matter diffusivity indices, grey matter T1-signal intensity values and basal ganglia volumes were evaluated as predictor variables in a canonical discriminant function.

Results

Following predictor variable selection, a classification specificity of 85.5% and sensitivity of 89.1% was achieved in the training sample and 90% specificity and 90% sensitivity in the validation sample.

Discussion

This study evaluates disease-associated imaging measures in a dummy diagnostic application. Although larger samples will be required for robust validation, the study confirms the potential of multimodal quantitative imaging in future clinical applications.

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Reliable diagnostic, monitoring and prognostic biomarkers are urgently in ALS.

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Accurate diagnostic classification may be achieved based on MRI metrics.

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Basal ganglia, grey and white matter indices were integrated in a diagnostic model.

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85.5% specificity and 89.1% sensitivity were achieved in the training sample.

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90% specificity and 90% sensitivity were achieved in the validation sample.

Survival prediction in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on MRI measures and clinical characteristics

Background

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a highly heterogeneous neurodegenerative condition. Accurate diagnostic, monitoring and prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed both for individualised patient care and clinical trials. A multimodal magnetic resonance imaging study is presented, where MRI measures of ALS-associated brain regions are utilised to predict 18-month survival.

Methods

A total of 60 ALS patients and 69 healthy controls were included in this study. 20% of the patient sample was utilised as an independent validation sample. Surface-based morphometry and diffusion tensor white matter parameters were used to identify anatomical patterns of neurodegeneration in 80% of the patient sample compared to healthy controls. Binary logistic ridge regressions were carried out to predict 18-month survival based on clinical measures alone, MRI features, and a combination of clinical and MRI data. Clinical indices included age at symptoms onset, site of disease onset, diagnostic delay from first symptom to diagnosis, and physical disability (ALSFRS-r). MRI features included the average cortical thickness of the precentral and paracentral gyri, the average fractional anisotropy, radial-, medial-, and axial diffusivity of the superior and inferior corona radiata, internal capsule, cerebral peduncles and the genu, body and splenium of the corpus callosum.

Results

Clinical data alone had a survival prediction accuracy of 66.67%, with 62.50% sensitivity and 70.84% specificity. MRI data alone resulted in a prediction accuracy of 77.08%, with 79.16% sensitivity and 75% specificity. The combination of clinical and MRI measures led to a survival prediction accuracy of 79.17%, with 75% sensitivity and 83.34% specificity.

Conclusion

Quantitative MRI measures of ALS-specific brain regions enhance survival prediction in ALS and should be incorporated in future clinical trial designs.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12883-017-0854-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.