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Cortical morphological changes in multiple sclerosis patients: a study of cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and local gyrification index

  • Advanced Neuroimaging
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Abstract

Purpose

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that progresses not only with demyelination but also with neurodegeneration. One of the goals of drug treatment in MS is to prevent neurodegeneration. Cortical thickness (CT), sulcal depth (SD), and local gyrification index (LGI) are indicators related to neurodegeneration. The aim of this study is to investigate changes in CT, SD, and LGI in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Methods

T1 images of 74 RRMS patients and 65 healthy controls were used. T1 hypointense areas in RRMS patients were corrected using fully automated methods. CT, SD, and LGI were calculated for each patient.

Results

RRMS patients showed widespread cortical thinning, especially in bilateral temporoparietal areas, decreased SD in bilateral supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and transverse temporal gyrus, and decreased LGI, especially in the left posterior cingulate gyrus and insula. The decrease in cortical thickness was associated with the number of attacks and lesion volume. EDSS was related to CT in the right lingual, inferior temporal, and fusiform gyrus. The LGI was correlated with T2 lesion volume in bilateral insula, with EDSS in the right insula and transverse and superior temporal gyri, and with the number of attacks in the right paracentral gyrus and pre-cuneus. However, SD did not show any correlation with EDSS, T2 lesion volume, or the number of attacks.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate widespread cortical thinning, decreased sulcal depth in local areas, and decreased gyrification in folds in RRMS patients, which are related to clinical parameters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Samsun Education and Research Hospital, İlkadım, 55060, Samsun, Turkey

    Barış Genç

  2. Department of Neuroradiology, Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey

    Kerim Aslan & Lütfi İncesu

  3. Department of Neurology, Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey

    Sedat Şen

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  1. Barış Genç
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  2. Kerim Aslan
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  4. Lütfi İncesu
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Correspondence to Barış Genç.

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Genç, B., Aslan, K., Şen, S. et al. Cortical morphological changes in multiple sclerosis patients: a study of cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and local gyrification index. Neuroradiology 65, 1405–1413 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-023-03185-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-023-03185-y

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