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Abstract #3125

Clinical Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis Is Related to the Damage of Clinically Eloquent White Matter Tracts

Paolo Preziosa1, Maria A. Rocca1, Sarlota Mesaros2, Elisabetta Pagani1, Tatjana Stosic-Opincal3, Domenico Caputo4, Jelena Drulovic2, Giancarlo Comi5, Massimo Filippi<s

1Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, Italy; 2Clinic of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Yugoslavia; 3Clinic of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Yugoslavia; 4Department of Neurology, IRCCS Fondazione Don Gnocchi, Milan, Italy; 5Department of Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, Italy

We investigated whether voxel-wise analyses to metrics from diffusion tensor (DT) MRI tractography and T2 lesions of the corticospinal tract (CST) and sensitive thalamocortical projections (sTCP) contribute to explain global clinical disability and impairment in specific functional systems in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Compared to healthy controls, MS patients showed widespread diffusivity abnormalities along the tracts investigated. Compared to unimpaired patients, impaired patients had higher diffusivity abnormalities and higher probability of having T2 lesions in the CTSs and sTCPs, thus suggesting that clinical impairment in MS is associated with both focal damage and diffuse normal appearing white matter tract injury.

Keywords

abnormalities ambulation ambulatory anisotropy apply assess assessing assessment axial blue brain clinic clinical clinically clusters coded collected color column contribute contributes controls convention corrected correlations damage decrease decreased degree dichotomized diffuse diffusion diffusivity disability distribution dual eloquent expanded experimental explain extent faculty findings focal fractional fully functional green healthy impaired impairment improve index injury institute lesion lesions limited mapping maps maria matched measures medicine metrics middle might neurological neurology objective occurrence parametric part pathways patients probability produced projections pronounced pyramidal radial radiology regional related salute scale scientific sclerosis score sensitive specificity statistical status structural studies systems tensor terms topographical tract tracts unimpaired unit vita whether white wise