Plasma cerebrosterol and magnetic resonance imaging measures in multiple sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
The concentration in plasma of the brain-specific cholesterol metabolite cerebrosterol has been proposed as a biomarker of neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. It is unknown, however, which pathophysiological process in MS best accounts for variations in plasma cerebrosterol.


METHODS
In this study, we related plasma cerebrosterol concentrations in 46 MS patients - 27 with a relapsing-remitting (RR) disease course and 19 with a primary progressive (PP) course - to three conventional magnetic resonance imaging measures: on T(1)-weighted brain scans, volume of gadolinium-enhanced lesions (a marker of active inflammation) and hypointense lesions (a marker of edema or axonal loss) and on T(2)-weighted scans, volume of hyperintense lesions (a marker of disease extent).


RESULTS
By multiple-regression analysis, we uncovered negative correlations between the cerebrosterol-cholesterol ratio in plasma and both age at sampling (beta=-0.35 and p=0.079 in RRMS; beta=-0.76 and p=0.006 in PPMS) and volume of T(2)-weighted lesions (beta=-0.52 and p=0.078 in RRMS; beta=-0.50 and p=0.247 in PPMS).


CONCLUSIONS
We hypothesize that decreases in plasma cerebrosterol may reflect the total spatiotemporal burden of MS-the cumulative effects of its dissemination in space and its duration in time.
Karrenbauer
Virginija Danylaité
VD
Division of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurology Clinic, R54, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, 141 86 Stockholm, Sweden.
Leoni
Valerio
V
Lim
Ee Tuan
ET
Giovannoni
Gavin
G
Ingle
Gordon T
GT
Sastre-Garriga
Jaume
J
Thompson
Alan J
AJ
Rashid
Waqar
W
Davies
Gerard
G
Miller
David H
DH
Björkhem
Ingemar
I
Masterman
Thomas
T
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006888:Hydroxycholesterols / Q000097:blood*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D010949:Plasma; D012494:Sampling Studies
D006888:Hydroxycholesterols; C044563:24-hydroxycholesterol; D002784:Cholesterol