Govind Nair1, Debbie Lu2,
Margaret Walker2, John Carew3, Xiaoping P. Hu1,
Michael Benatar2
1Biomedical Imaging &
Technology Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University
& Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States; 2Department
of Neurology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United
States; 3Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Carolinas HealthCare
System, Charlotte, NC, United States
Longitudinal changes detected by T1 and DTI in the grey and white matter of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease affecting the upper and lower motor neurons, are presented here. Several MRI parameters such as FA from the CST in the brain and cervical cord, and T1 in the motor cortices show changes that were significantly correlated with clinical markers of disease progression. A larger study, with longer duration of follow-up, is currently underway to further explore the potential of MRI as a biomarker of disease progression in ALS.