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CC BY 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2024; 82(S 01): S1-S52
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1789357
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Diffusion-tensor imaging findings related to disability and quality of life in multiple sclerosis: a 12-year follow-up

Gabriel Vieira
1   Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil.
,
Mariana de Sá
1   Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil.
,
Andre Augusto Lemos Vidal de Negreiros
1   Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil.
,
Ana Carolina Andrade
1   Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil.
,
Alfredo Damasceno
1   Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil.
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    Address for correspondence: Gabriel Vieira (email: gabrieldedeusvieira@gmail.com).

    Abstract

    Background: Diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) is an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that provides information on microscopic structural damage in white-matter tracts, related to demyelinating and axonal damage.

    Objective: To evaluate 12-year longitudinal metrics in functional tests and DTI parameters.

    Methods: We selected 30 patients from a previous cohort, and a new assessment was performed 12 years after (time point 2, tp2) the baseline assessment. The clinical variables evaluated were the EDSS, 9HPT, T25FW, and SDMT. The Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRB-N) was applied to all patients. We also evaluated the quality-of-life parameters. The DTI images were acquired on a 3-T device and analyzed using MRtrix3 (https://www.mrtrix.org). We selected the following tracts and fascicles: uncinate (UnF), cingulate (CgF), inferior fronto-occipital (IFOF), corpus callosum (CC), corticospinal tract (CST), and the fornix (FxF). Group comparisons were performed with the paired t-test. A multivariable linear regression was also performed.

    Results: Regarding the functional and cognitive tests, those that showed a significant variation between baseline and tp2 were the EDSS (t (29) = -2.715; p < 0.01), 9HPT (t (40) = -2.202; p < 0.05), and PASAT z-score (t (40) = -2.829; p < 0.01). During baseline, no clinical variables were entered into the equation for DTI analyses. During tp2, the IFOF-FA delta was related to the T25FW (R2 = 0.701; β = -0.992; p < 0.001), the MCC-FA delta was related to fatigue (R2 = 0.289; β = -0.699; p = 0.02), and the UnF-FA delta (R2 = 0.171; β = -0,423; p = 0.009) and the UnF-RD delta (R2 = 0.218; β = -0.466; p = 0.006) were related to depression.

    Conclusion: In the 12 years of follow-up, damage to the IFOF-FA was a predictor of changes in the T25FWT, in addition to UnF-FA being related to depression.


     

    No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).

    Publication History

    Article published online:
    02 October 2024

    © 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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