Table 1.
Selected works studying grey matter changes and their relations to physical and cognitive impairment in MS
| Study | Patients | Follow-up (years) |
MRI measures |
Main outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton et al., 2004 [11] |
58 CIS | 3 | GMF | Decrease in GMF was higher in patients who converted to CDMS (-3.3%) than in those who did not (-1.1%). |
| Fisher et al., 2008 [12] |
7 CIS 36 RRMS 27 SPMS 17 HC |
4 | BPF, GMF, WMF |
GMF decrease was more pronounced in patients compared to HC: CIS converting to RRMS, 3.4×; RRMS, 8.1×; RRMS converting to SPMS, 12.4×; SPMS, 14×. WMF decrease was 3× higher in all patient sub-groups than in HC. |
| Fisniku et al., 2008 [36] |
29 CIS 33 RRMS 11 SPMS 25 HC |
20/cross-sectional | GMF, GMV WMF |
GMF but not WMF correlated with EDSS (r = 0.48) and MSFC sub-scores (r = 0.59). |
| Horakova et al., 2009 [102] |
170 RRMS | 5 | GMV, PBVC | Decline in PBVC and GMV were the strongest MRI predictors of disability progression. |
| Calabrese et al., 2009 [30] |
48 PPMS | 2 | GMF, cortical lesions (volume, count) | Baseline volume of cortical lesions correlated with EDSS (r = 0.48) and its change over 2 years (r = 0.38). |
| Calabrese et al., 2011 [96] |
105 CIS 42 HC |
4 | Regional atrophy | Atrophy of the superior frontal gyrus, thalamus, and cerebellum predicted independently conversion from CIS to CDMS. |
| Roosendaal et al., 2011 [55] | 95 CIS 657 RRMS 125 SPMS 50 PPMS |
cross-sectional | GMV | GMV was lower in SPMS than RRMS, and was the strongest independent predictor of physical disability and cognitive impairment. |
| Amato et al., 2004 [40] |
41 RRMS 16 HC |
cross-sectional | GMV | Cortical atrophy was found in cognitively impaired but not in cognitively preserved patients, and was correlated with a poorer performance on tests of verbal memory, attention, and verbal fluency. |
| Amato et al., 2007 [101] |
28 RR MS | 2.5 | GMV, NCV PBVC |
Decrease in cortical volume was significantly higher in cognitively deteriorating than in stable or improving patients (-43 ml vs. -18 ml). |
| Tekok-Kilic et al., 2007 [68] | 59 CDMS | cross-sectional | GMF | Frontal atrophy was associated with impaired memory (auditory/verbal, visual episodic and working). |
| Houtchens et al., 2007 [161] | 62 RR MS 16 SP MS 1 PP MS 16 HC |
cross-sectional | thalamic volume | Thalamic volume was 17% lower in the MS group than in HC, and was associated with impaired cognitive performance (r = 0.51-0.72) and physical disability (r = 0.32). |
| Calabrese et al., 2009 [37] |
70 RR MS | cross-sectional | cortical lesions NCV |
Higher number and volume of cortical lesions and lower volume of neocortical grey matter were seen in cognitively impaired vs. cognitively preserved patients. |
BPF, brain parenchymal fraction; CDMS, clinically definite multiple sclerosis; CIS, clinically isolated syndrome; EDSS, Expanded Disability Status Scale; GMF, grey matter fraction; GMV, grey matter volume; HC, healthy controls; MS, multiple sclerosis; MSFC, Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite; NCV, normalised cortical volume; PBVC, percentage brain volume change; RRMS, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; SPMS, secondary progressive multiple sclerosis; WMF, white matter fraction