CSF flow dynamics in motor neuron disease.
OBJECTIVE
To assess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow dynamics involvement in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we conducted CSF flow studies on 40 individuals with motor neuron diseases (MNDs) including ALS, and 28 age-matched normal and disease [cervical  spondylosis (CS)] controls.


METHODS
The CSF pulsatile velocity anterior to the cervical cord at level C5 during one heart beat was determined non-invasively by phase-contrast electrocardiography-triggered magnetic resonance imaging.


RESULTS
In MND, caudal CSF velocity  peaked at 25% of the cardiac cycle after the R wave (UT(c)/RR), showing an increased delay in comparison to normal controls, while amplitude H(c) was significantly larger than that in CS.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that CSF flow dynamics of MND  differ from those of controls and may thus facilitate differentiation of MND from CS.
Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan. kota_vot@yahoo.co.jp
Kota
K
Sato
Nobutoshi
N
Morimoto
Tohru
T
Matsuura
Yasuyuki
Y
Ohta
Masatoshi
M
Tsunoda
Yoshio
Y
Ikeda
Koji
K
Abe
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016472:Motor Neuron Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012044:Regression Analysis