Table 1.
Sample Characteristics
| MS | Healthy Controls | Statistic, P-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample SizeA | 185 | 50 | |
| Age (mean ± sd) | 34.4 ± 7.5 | 32.9± 7.5 | t=1.24, p=.216 |
| Sex (% Female) | 66.5 | 64.0 | X2=0.11, p=.742 |
| Race | X2=0.53, p=.766 | ||
| Caucasian (%) | 71.4 | 76.0 | |
| African American (%) | 20.5 | 16.0 | |
| Other (%) | 8.1 | 8.0 | |
| Ethnicity (% Hispanic) | 22.7 | 8.0 | X2=5.41, p=.020 |
| Maternal Education (% ≥16 years)B | 52.4% | 60.0% | X2=0.91, p=.341 |
| Verbal IQ (mean ± sd) | 108.2 ± 9.2 | 110.9 ± 9.1 | t=1.86, p=.064 |
| Disease Course (RRMS / CIS) | 165 / 20 | ||
| Years since Diagnosis (mean ± sd) | 2.2 ± 1.4 (median=2.0) | ||
| Years since 1st Symptom (mean ± sd) | 3.5 ± 2.9 (median=2.8) | ||
| EDSS (median; interquartile range) | 1.0; 0.0–1.5 | ||
| EDSS score (% of sample): | 0.0 (34.1), 1.0 (28.1), 1.5 (18.4), 2.0 (11.3), ≥2.5 (8.1) | ||
A
Two enrolled patients were not permitted to undergo research MRIs due to metal in their bodies. These patients had not reported this contraindication prior to enrollment because the metal had not precluded previous clinical MR imaging. The sample size for imaging analyses was therefore 183.
B
Maternal education is a better marker of socioeconomic status than a person’s own education because (a) it represents socioeconomic status during childhood and adolescence and (b) the current sample was relatively young, with 15% of the sample younger than 25 years of age.