Region ‐specific impairment of the cervical spinal cord (SC) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A preliminary study using SC templates and quantitative MRI (diffusion tensor imaging/inhomogeneous magnetization transfer)

In this study, in addition to an important SC WM demyelination, we also observed, for the first time in ALS, impairments of cervical aGM. A high‐resolution, multi‐parametric magnetic resonance (MR) protocol, including diffusion tensor imaging and inhomogeneous magnetization transfer imaging, was combined with an atlas‐based analysis using dedicated spinal cord templates to evaluate region‐specific impairments of the cervical spinal cord in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The preliminary results suggested that this high‐resolution, multi‐parametric MR protocol is valuable for the characterization of spinal cord tissue impairment in ALS. More particularly, evidence for important white matter demyelination and impairment of cervical anterior gray matter, reported for the first time in ALS, was observed.
Source: NMR in Biomedicine - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research