Abstract #2612

White matter tracts of MS patients with progression independent of relapse activity show DTI-alterations compared to clinically stable patients

Mario Ocampo-Pineda^1,2,3, Alessandro Cagol^1,2,3, Muhamed Barakovic^1,2,3, Po-Jui Lu^1,2,3, Jannis Müller^1,2,3, Sabine Schaedelin⁴, Pascal Benkert⁴, Matthias Weigel^1,2,3,5, Lester Melie-Garcia^1,2,3, Jens Kuhle^2,3, Ludwig Kappos^1,2,3, and Cristina Granziera^1,2,3

¹Translational Imaging in Neurology (ThINk) Basel, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, ²Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland, ³Research Center for Clinical Neuroimmunology and Neuroscience Basel (RC2NB), University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, ⁴Clinical Trial Unit, Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, ⁵Division of Radiological Physics, Department of Radiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Synopsis

Keywords: White Matter, Diffusion Tensor ImagingProgression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) has been described in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) even in the earliest disease stages. Patients with PIRA show increased atrophy rates in multiple brain regions compared to stable patients. Here, we investigated whether patients with PIRA exhibit loss of integrity in WM tracts compared to stable patients. We studied 62 RRMS patients, 27 PIRA and 35 stable patients using a clinical DW-MRI protocol. Our results showed that PIRA patients present smaller FA values in areas of corpus callosum and along corticosprinal tract. These differences suggest neurodegeneration in major WM tracts of PIRA patients.

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