Objective: Quantification of brain injury in patients with variable disability despite similar disease duration may be relevant to identify the mechanisms underlying disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to compare grey-matter sodium abnormalities (GMSAs), a parameter reflecting neuronal and astrocyte dysfunction, in MS patients with benign multiple sclerosis (BMS) and non-benign multiple sclerosis (NBMS).
Methods: We identified never-treated BMS patients in our local MS database of 1352 patients. A group with NBMS was identified with same disease duration. All participants underwent 23Na magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The existence of GMSA was detected by statistical analysis.
Results: In total, 102 individuals were included (21 BMS, 25 NBMS and 56 controls). GMSA was detected in 10 BMS and 19 NBMS (11/16 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and 8/9 secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients) (p = 0.05). On logistic regression including the presence or absence of GMSA, thalamic volume, cortical grey-matter volume and T2-weighted lesion load, thalamic volume was independently associated with BMS status (odds ratio (OR) = 0.64 for each unit). Nonetheless, the absence of GMSA was independently associated when excluding patients with significant cognitive alteration (n = 7) from the BMS group (OR = 4.6).
Conclusion: Detection of GMSA in individuals and thalamic volume are promising to differentiate BMS from NBMS as compared with cortical or whole grey-matter atrophy and T2-weighted lesions.
Keywords: Multiple sclerosis; benign; disability; neuronal degeneration; sodium magnetic resonance imaging.