Contributions
Abstract: EP1411
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Clinical aspects of MS - 8 Clinical assessment tools
Background: Brain volume (BV) is a biomarker of neurodegeneration in MS. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measured by OCT is another arising biomarker. Both are able to differentiate MS patients from healthy controls (HC) and showed a correlation with physical disability and cognitive impairment. The relationship between RNFL and BV has been generally evaluated in cross-sectional studies, while there are not longitudinal data combining RNFL, BV and cognitive functions (CF) at the same time.
Aim: We aimed to assess longitudinally the relationship between RNFL, BV, and CF in MS patients and HC.
Method: At baseline (T1) relapsing remitting MS patients and matched HC underwent to 1.5 T brain MRI. SIENAX software estimates the normalized volume of the brain (NBV), grey (NGV), white (NWV) and peripheral grey (pNGV) matter. CF evaluated by BICAMS (including SDMT, CVLT, BVMT), RNFL by Spectral Domain OCT (Heidelberg Engineering), demographic, and clinical data were collected. The eyes with previous clinical or subclinical optic neuritis were excluded. Cognitive reserve (CR) was estimated using a validated tool. The evaluations were repeated after 12 +/- 3 months (T2). Group analyses were performed with T test for unpaired samples. In MS patients, Pearson test analyses the correlation between continuous variables within the 2 groups.
Results: We included 54 MS patients (F: 38; mean age: 44 years; disease duration: 11.7 years; mean EDSS: 2.5) and 16 HC (F: 8; mean age: 46 years). At T1 MS patients and HC differ for NBV (p=0.003), NWV (p=0.001), RNFL (p=0.04), SDMT (p=0.01). Pearson test showed a correlation between RNFL and CVLT (R: 0.366, p=0.02), BV (R: 0.483, p=0.005), NGV (R: 0.478, p=0.006), pNGV (R: 0.494, p=0.005), between pNGV and each BICAMS test (R: 0.3, p=0.01) and between CR and SDMT (R: 0.38, p=0.003). Longitudinally a significant correlation was found between Delta (T2-T1) RNFL and Delta BICAMS tests (R: 0.473, p=0.006) Delta RNFL and number of BICAMS altered tests at T2 (R: 0.343, p=0.04), Delta BV and Delta BICAMS tests (R: 0.494, p=0.001). No correlation was found in HC between BV, RNFL, and BICAMS tests.
Conclusions: Our data support that MRI, OCT and CF could distinguish MS from HC. RNFL, such as BV, is a valid biomarker of neurodegeneration, and contribute to explain the complex interplay determining CF. Our study showed that RNFL, measured with an easy and repeatable instrument as OCT, is useful to longitudinally assess the MS patients.
Disclosure: The authors have nothing to disclose about this work
Abstract: EP1411
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Clinical aspects of MS - 8 Clinical assessment tools
Background: Brain volume (BV) is a biomarker of neurodegeneration in MS. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measured by OCT is another arising biomarker. Both are able to differentiate MS patients from healthy controls (HC) and showed a correlation with physical disability and cognitive impairment. The relationship between RNFL and BV has been generally evaluated in cross-sectional studies, while there are not longitudinal data combining RNFL, BV and cognitive functions (CF) at the same time.
Aim: We aimed to assess longitudinally the relationship between RNFL, BV, and CF in MS patients and HC.
Method: At baseline (T1) relapsing remitting MS patients and matched HC underwent to 1.5 T brain MRI. SIENAX software estimates the normalized volume of the brain (NBV), grey (NGV), white (NWV) and peripheral grey (pNGV) matter. CF evaluated by BICAMS (including SDMT, CVLT, BVMT), RNFL by Spectral Domain OCT (Heidelberg Engineering), demographic, and clinical data were collected. The eyes with previous clinical or subclinical optic neuritis were excluded. Cognitive reserve (CR) was estimated using a validated tool. The evaluations were repeated after 12 +/- 3 months (T2). Group analyses were performed with T test for unpaired samples. In MS patients, Pearson test analyses the correlation between continuous variables within the 2 groups.
Results: We included 54 MS patients (F: 38; mean age: 44 years; disease duration: 11.7 years; mean EDSS: 2.5) and 16 HC (F: 8; mean age: 46 years). At T1 MS patients and HC differ for NBV (p=0.003), NWV (p=0.001), RNFL (p=0.04), SDMT (p=0.01). Pearson test showed a correlation between RNFL and CVLT (R: 0.366, p=0.02), BV (R: 0.483, p=0.005), NGV (R: 0.478, p=0.006), pNGV (R: 0.494, p=0.005), between pNGV and each BICAMS test (R: 0.3, p=0.01) and between CR and SDMT (R: 0.38, p=0.003). Longitudinally a significant correlation was found between Delta (T2-T1) RNFL and Delta BICAMS tests (R: 0.473, p=0.006) Delta RNFL and number of BICAMS altered tests at T2 (R: 0.343, p=0.04), Delta BV and Delta BICAMS tests (R: 0.494, p=0.001). No correlation was found in HC between BV, RNFL, and BICAMS tests.
Conclusions: Our data support that MRI, OCT and CF could distinguish MS from HC. RNFL, such as BV, is a valid biomarker of neurodegeneration, and contribute to explain the complex interplay determining CF. Our study showed that RNFL, measured with an easy and repeatable instrument as OCT, is useful to longitudinally assess the MS patients.
Disclosure: The authors have nothing to disclose about this work