Introduction: Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) play a pivotal role
in the diagnosis and disease monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS). Delayed
latencies are a surrogate for demyelination along the sensory aerence. This
study aimed to evaluate if SSEP latencies are representative of demyelination
of the brain overall, by correlating with cerebral microstructural integrity as
measured by Magnetic resonance (MR) diusion tensor imaging (DTI). Analysis
was performed in a hypothesis-free whole brain approach using tract-based
spatial statistics (TBSS).
Material and methods: A total of 46 patients with MS or clinically isolated
syndrome were included in the study. Bilateral SSEPs of the median nerve
measuring mean N20 latencies (mN20) and Central Conduction Time (CCT),
were acquired. MRI scans were performed at 3T. DTI acquisition was done with
a single-shot echoplanar imaging technique with 80 diusion directions. The
FSL software package was used to process the DTI datasets and to calculate
maps of fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diusivity (AD), and radial diusivity
(RD). These maps were then further analyzed using the TBSS module. The
mean N20 and CCT and the right- and left-sided N20 and CCT were separately
correlated to FA, AD, and RD, controlled for age, gender, and EDSS as variables
of non-interest.
Results: Widespread negative correlations of SSEP latencies with FA
(p = 0.0005) and positive correlations with RD (p = 0.0003) were measured
in distinct white matter tracts, especially the optic tracts, corpus callosum,
and posterior corona radiata. No correlation with AD was found in any white
matter tract. Conclusion: Highly significant correlations of FA and RD to SSEPs suggest
that their latency is representative of widespread microstructural change, and
especially demyelination in patients suering from MS, reaching beyond the
classic somatosensory regions. This points to the usefulness of SSEPs as a
non-invasive tool in the evaluation of microstructural damage to the brain.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:88280 |
| Date | 27 November 2023 |
| Creators | Hamann, Jan, Ettrich, Barbara, Hoffman, Karl Titus, Bergh, Florian Then, Lobsien, Donald |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 890841 |
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