title: Deep grey matter MRI abnormalities and cognitive function in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Although deep grey matter (GM) involvement in multiple sclerosis (MS) is well documented, in-vivo multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies and association with detailed cognitive measures are limited. We investigated volumetric, diffusion and perfusion metrics in thalamus, hippocampus, putamen, caudate nucleus and globus pallidum, and neuropsychological measures, spanning 4 cognitive domains, in 60 relapsing-remitting MS patients (RRMS) (mean disease duration of 5.1 years, median EDSS of 1.5) and 30 healthy controls. There was significantly reduced volume of thalamus, hippocampus and putamen in the RRMS patients, but no diffusion or perfusion changes in these structures. Decreased volume in these deep GM volumes in RRMS patients was associated with a modest reduction in cognitive performance, particularly information processing speed, consistent with a subtle disruption of distributed networks, that subserve cognition, in these patients. Future longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate the influence of deep GM changes on the evolution of cognitive deficits in MS.
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand; University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand. Electronic address: laetitia.debernard@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Laëtitia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Debernard
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand; University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Tracy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Melzer
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand; University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Sridhar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alla
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand; Department of Neurology, Christchurch Hospital, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eagle
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Saskia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Stockum
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Osborne
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand; University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dalrymple-Alford
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand; University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand; Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand; University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand; Department of Neurology, Christchurch Hospital, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Deborah F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Mason
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000473:pathology*; D011699:Putamen / Q000473:pathology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Atrophy; Deep grey matter; Diffusion; MRI; Perfusion; Relapsing/remitting