Multiple Sclerosis Research Repository

1. “Focal cortical atrophy in multiple sclerosis: relation to lesion load and disability”: Charil A et al

-mean cortical thickness correlated with SM lesion load and disability 

-the correlations of cortical thickness with total lesion load and disability were most significant in cingulate gyrus, insula, and associative cortical regions

-conversely, primary sensory, visual and motor areas showed a less significant relationship 

-the highest amount of atrophy per lesion volume or disability scale unit was in the anterior cingulate cortex

-cortical atrophy occurs occurs even in MS patients with only mild disability

-a specific regional pattern of focal atrophy in MS that is distinctively different from the one in normal aging

-the predilection of the atrophic process for areas that are heavily inter-connected with other brain regions suggests that interruption of WM tracts by MS plaques contributes, at least in part, to the development of cortical atrophy