Selective atrophy of the cervical enlargement in whole spinal cord MRI of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Year: 2022
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a deadly neurodegenerative disorder affecting motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. Studies have reported on atrophy within segments of the cervical cord, but we are not aware of previous investigations of the whole spinal cord. Herein we present our findings from a 3T MRI study involving 32 subjects (15 ALS participants and 17 healthy controls) characterizing cross-sectional area along the entire cord. We report atrophy of the cervical enlargement in ALS participants, but no evidence of atrophy of the thoracolumbar enlargement. These results suggest that MR-based analyses of the cervical cord may be sufficient for in vivo investigations of spinal cord atrophy in ALS, and that atrophy of the cervical enlargement (C4-C7) is a potential imaging marker for quantifying lower motor neuron degradation.
Source: NeuroImage Clinical
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,240
Funders: Massachusetts General Hospital, Centre d'Imagerie BioMédicale, National Institutes of Health, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Awards: G1360098495, The Role of Brain Glial Activation in knee Ostoarthritis, G3171611343, G3860838304, G4693734889, Spinal cord functional connectivity as a biomarker of spinal cord dysfunction, In-vivo imaging of spinal and brain glial activation in low back pain patients, Center for Functional Imaging Technologies, Center for Mesoscale Mapping
OpenAlex ID: W4296198574