Multiple sclerosis and related disorders
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Mult Scler Relat Disord · May 2015
Cervical cord area is associated with infratentorial grey and white matter volume predominantly in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: A study using semi-automated cord volumetry and voxel-based morphometry.
Atrophy of the brain and the upper cervical cord, which both have major impact on the severity of clinical symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS), may be interrelated by neuraxonal degeneration. Aiming to identify possible spatially remote effects of neuraxonal brain damage on spinal cord atrophy, we studied regional and global brain volumes and the upper cervical cord area (UCCA) in a large group of MS patients and a healthy control group. ⋯ Cervical cord and brain atrophy were present in both, RRMS and even more severe in SPMS. Still, spatial associations between cervical cord area and remote cerebellar and brainstem volume, possibly driven by neuraxonal degeneration, were detected mostly in RRMS patients with predominantly short disease durations. Future longitudinal studies may elucidate the interplay between affection of spinal cord and infratentorial structures in MS, and contribute to the understanding of the conversion processes from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive MS.