Thalamus is one of the first grey matter structure affected in multiple sclerosis (MS). It could undergo a differential vulnerability predominating on nuclei closer to the third ventricle due to pro-inflammatory factors brought by cerebrospinal fluid.First, we validated an atlas-based segmentation method that enables thalamic segmentation over conventional T1 weighted images. Then, using this segmentation method, we brought evidence for a medio-lateral gradient of thalamic atrophy in MS. While less affected, the anterior group was found useful to distinguish cognitively preserved from cognitively impaired patients. This paves the way toward more thalamic nuclei analyses in MS as new biomarkers.
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