Photo Credit: Silver Place

In a recent study, researchers explored how cervical spinal cord (cSC) lesions and atrophy contribute to disability in MS, specifically their associations with sensorimotor dysfunction. Using 3T MRI scans and clinical assessments, including the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and various motor tests, researchers examined 151 MS patients and 69 healthy controls. They utilized random forest analysis to prioritize MRI measures from both the brain (such as T2-hyperintense lesion volume and normalized gray and white matter volumes) and the cervical spinal cord (including lesion volume and cross-sectional areas at C2/C3) in explaining EDSS milestones, vibration detection thresholds, and functional system impairments. The findings, published online in Multiple Sclerosis Journal, highlighted that cSC MRI measures, particularly cervical gray matter cross-sectional area, were most significant in explaining EDSS scores and sensorimotor dysfunction across MS patients, outperforming brain MRI measures. These findings underscore the importance of evaluating cSC pathology in understanding and managing MS-related disability.