The following is a summary of “Contribution of paramagnetic rim and cortical lesions to physical and cognitive disability at multiple sclerosis clinical onset: evaluating the power of MRI and OCT biomarkers,” published in the August 2024 issue of Neurology by Miscioscia et al.
Imaging Biomarkers such as MRI and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are essential in diagnosing and characterizing Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Cortical (CL), paramagnetic rim lesions (PRL), and retinal atrophy, which are often overlooked in clinical routine assessments.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study identifying the biomarkers, MRI, and OCT related to early clinical disability in MS.
They attained brain, spinal cord (SC) MRI, and OCT scans from 45 patients with MS to measure brain PRL and non-PRL, CL, SC lesion volumes and counts, brain volumetric metrics, SC C2-C3 cross-sectional area, and retinal layer thickness. Evaluation of regression models with physical disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS]) and cognitive performance (Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis [BICAMS]) was done.
The results showed a stepwise regression of (R2 = 0.526), PRL (β= 0.001, P= 0.023) and SC lesion volumes (β=0.001, P=0.017) were critical predictors of EDSS, while CL volume and age were strongly associated with BICAMS scores. When RL and non-PRL were roped in together, only SC lesion volume remained a predictor for EDSS, with OCT measures showing no link with disability at onset.
They concluded RL and SC lesions were significantly linked with physical disability in the clinical onset of MS, while CL impacted only cognitive performance.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00415-024-12622-8
