Neuronal Cell Injury Precedes Brain Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis

Overview

Journal Neurology

Specialty Neurology

Date 2004 Feb 26

PMID 14981182

Citations 17

Authors

Y Ge

O Gonen

M Inglese

J S Babb

C E Markowitz

R I Grossman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Global brain atrophy estimated using MRI and whole brain N-acetylaspartate (WBNAA) concentration measured with proton MR spectroscopy were obtained in 42 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 41 matched control subjects. Patients exhibited cross-sectional atrophy (0.5%; p = 0.033) and WBNAA decline (1.8%/y; p = 0.005) vs disease duration. The 3.6-fold rate disparity between the two processes suggests that neuronal/axonal dysfunction (N-acetylaspartate decline) precedes parenchyma loss, not its consequence (i.e., is an earlier, more sensitive specific metric of the ongoing disease activity).

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