| Title: | Regional patterns of grey matter volume decline in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis relative to healthy ageing |
| Journal: | NeuroImage |
| Published: | 8 Jul 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42419658/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.122118 |
Publication 20402
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Grey matter volume loss (GM-VL) is an accurate marker of multiple sclerosis (MS)-related progression. However, long-term comparisons of GM-VL between MS and healthy controls (HC) are rare, and the brain regions with most significant GM-VL and their clinical importance still need robust and longitudinal validation.</p>
METHODS: This multi-cohort longitudinal observational study used two relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) cohorts (N = 386, T1w-scans=940) sampled for up-to-12 years to localise grey matter volume loss (GM-VL) and disease progression (Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)). The identified region-specific significant GM-VL was compared with 2163 HCs (T1w-scans=4326).</p>
RESULTS: The strongest, replicable, significant patterns of brain GM-VL in RRMS were found in the frontal lobes, specifically, in the superior frontal cortex (SFC, βage≤-0.27), pars orbitalis (βage≤-0.25), and thalami (βage≤-0.20). Compared with healthy controls (HCs) >20 years older, MS showed greater GM-VL in the right SFC, caudal-middle frontal cortex, caudate, and left frontal pole (all Z > 2.08, p < 0.019). The overlap of associations between volumetric and clinical outcome changes was limited to EDSS, which was significantly related to left hippocampal volumes βEDSS≤-0.19 in both cohorts.</p>
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate GM-VL in people with RRMS comparable to 20-year older HC, and stronger in the SFC and thalamus, and cohort-specific relationships with disability-progression.</p>
13 Authors
- Max Korbmacher
- Ingrid Anne Lie
- Kristin Wesnes
- Eric Westman
- Thomas Espeseth
- Ole Andreas Andreassen
- Hanne Harbo
- Gro Owren Nygaard
- Lars Tjelta Westlye
- Stig Wergeland
- Kjell-Morten Myhr
- Einar August Høgestøl
- Øivind Torkildsen
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 27412 | Boosting the power of GWAS using novel statistical tools |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health