- Title
- Improvement of the thalamocortical white matter network in people with stable treated relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis over time
- Creator
- Alshehri, Abdulaziz; Koussis, Nikitas; Al-Iedani, Oun; Khormi, Ibrahim; Lea, Rodney; Ramadan, Saadallah; Lechner-Scott, Jeannette
- Relation
- NMR in Biomedicine Vol. 37, Issue 6, no. e5119
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nbm.5119
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2024
- Description
- Advanced imaging techniques (tractography) enable the mapping of white matter (WM) pathways and the understanding of brain connectivity patterns. We combined tractography with a network-based approach to examine WM microstructure on a network level in people with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (pw-RRMS) and healthy controls (HCs) over 2 years. Seventy-six pw-RRMS matched with 43 HCs underwent clinical assessments and 3T MRI scans at baseline (BL) and 2-year follow-up (2-YFU). Probabilistic tractography was performed, accounting for the effect of lesions, producing connectomes of 25 million streamlines. Network differences in fibre density across pw-RRMS and HCs at BL and 2-YFU were quantified using network-based statistics (NBS). Longitudinal network differences in fibre density were quantified using NBS in pw-RRMS, and were tested for correlations with disability, cognition and fatigue scores. Widespread network reductions in fibre density were found in pw-RRMS compared with HCs at BL in cortical regions, with more reductions detected at 2-YFU. Pw-RRMS had reduced fibre density at BL in the thalamocortical network compared to 2-YFU. This effect appeared after correction for age, was robust across different thresholds, and did not correlate with lesion volume or disease duration. Pw-RRMS demonstrated a robust and long-distance improvement in the thalamocortical WM network, regardless of age, disease burden, duration or therapy, suggesting a potential locus of neuroplasticity in MS. This network's role over the disease's lifespan and its potential implications in prognosis and treatment warrants further investigation.
- Subject
- clinical measures; disease-modifying therapies; multiple sclerosis; tractography; white matter
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1503537
- Identifier
- uon:55343
- Identifier
- ISSN:0952-3480
- Language
- eng
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