Damage in the Thalamocortical Tracts is Associated With Subsequent Thalamus Atrophy in Early Multiple Sclerosis

Weeda, Merlin M.; Pruis, Ilanah J.; Westerveld, Aimee S. R.; Brouwer, Iman; Bellenberg, Barbara; Barkhof, Frederik; Vrenken, Hugo; Lukas, Carsten; Schneider, Ruth; Pouwels, Petra J. W.

doi:10.3389/fneur.2020.575611

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Thalamic volume is reduced in early MS and is related to clinical disability 130 . While some of this atrophy may be due to white matter damage to thalamic tracts 131 , PTEs in thalamic neurons, which have also been seen in Parkinson's disease 65 , could play a part. Similarly, PTEs in cerebellar dentate neurons could contribute to the cerebellar atrophy and ataxia commonly found in MS 132 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potentially toxic elements in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis

Pamphlett

Buckland

Bishop

2023

Sci Rep

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Potentially toxic elements such as lead and aluminium have been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), since their neurotoxic mechanisms mimic many of the pathogenetic processes in MS. We therefore examined the distribution of several potentially toxic elements in the autopsied brains of people with and without MS, using two methods of elemental bio-imaging. Toxicants detected in the locus ceruleus were used as indicators of past exposures. Autometallography of paraffin sections from multiple brain regions of 21 MS patients and 109 controls detected inorganic mercury, silver, or bismuth in many locus ceruleus neurons of both groups, and in widespread blood vessels, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and neurons of four MS patients and one control. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry imaging of pons paraffin sections from all MS patients and 12 controls showed that combinations of iron, silver, lead, aluminium, mercury, nickel, and bismuth were present more often in the locus ceruleus of MS patients and were located predominantly in white matter tracts. Based on these results, we propose that metal toxicants in locus ceruleus neurons weaken the blood–brain barrier, enabling multiple interacting toxicants to pass through blood vessels and enter astrocytes and oligodendroglia, leading to demyelination.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potentially toxic elements in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis

Pamphlett

Buckland

Bishop

2023

Sci Rep

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“…Regarding the thalamus we observed correlations between MUCCA and R1, R2 and PD that were plausible when considering that the thalamus is directly connected to the spinal cord via the spinothalamic tracts, and thus, supports our hypothesis of associations between cord atrophy and pathological changes in functionally connected structures. Both, cervical cord and thalamus, have been shown to be highly sensitive to disease related volume loss and degradation of white matter fibers in MS ( Hagström et al, 2017 , Weeda et al, 2020 , Zivadinov et al, 2013 ). Still, associations between alterations in these structures have rarely been investigated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relaxometry and brain myelin quantification with synthetic MRI in MS subtypes and their associations with spinal cord atrophy

Ladopoulos

Matusche

Bellenberg

et al. 2022

NeuroImage: Clinical

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“…In this sense, Henry et al pointed out a common mechanism of thalamic injury, where lesions cause distal WM injury, leading directly to the loss of thalamic neurons and volume [ 17 ]. In a recent follow-up study, Weeda et al found a direct association between thalamocortical connection damage and thalamic atrophy, suggesting a directionality pattern [ 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of Gray Matter Atrophy and White Matter Damage to Cognitive Impairment in Mildly Disabled Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients

et al. 2021

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Cognitive impairment (CI) is frequently present in multiple sclerosis patients. Despite ongoing research, the neurological substrates have not been fully elucidated. In this study we investigated the contribution of gray and white matter in the CI observed in mildly disabled relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. For that purpose, 30 patients with RRMS (median EDSS = 2), and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were studied. CI was assessed using the symbol digit modalities test (SDMT) and the memory alteration test. Brain magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), voxel-based morphometry (VBM), brain segmentation, thalamic vertex analysis, and connectivity-based thalamic parcellation analyses were performed. RRMS patients scored significantly lower in both cognitive tests. In the patient group, significant atrophy in the thalami was observed. Multiple regression analyses revealed associations between SDMT scores and GM volume in both hemispheres in the temporal, parietal, frontal, and occipital lobes. The DTI results pointed to white matter damage in all thalamocortical connections, the corpus callosum, and several fasciculi. Multiple regression and correlation analyses suggested that in RRMS patients with mild disease, thalamic atrophy and thalamocortical connection damage may lead to slower cognitive processing. Furthermore, white matter damage at specific fasciculi may be related to episodic memory impairment.

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Damage in the Thalamocortical Tracts is Associated With Subsequent Thalamus Atrophy in Early Multiple Sclerosis

Cited by 6 publications

References 45 publications

Potentially toxic elements in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis

Potentially toxic elements in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis

Relaxometry and brain myelin quantification with synthetic MRI in MS subtypes and their associations with spinal cord atrophy

Contribution of Gray Matter Atrophy and White Matter Damage to Cognitive Impairment in Mildly Disabled Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients

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