Specific disabilities in multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with voxelwise gray matter (GM) loss in distinct locations, according to a recent study. In this cross-sectional study, researchers acquired magnetic resonance images from 133 women (mean age 37.4 [7.5] years) with relapsing-remitting MS and analyzed them using voxel-based morphometry and volumetry. They found:

• Among total patients, worse performance on the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite correlated with voxelwise GM volume loss in the middle cingulate cortex and a cluster in the precentral gyrus bilaterally.

• Worse performance on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test correlated with volume loss in the auditory and premotor cortices, whereas worse performance on the 9-Hole Peg Test correlated with GM volume loss in Brodmann area 44.

• Voxelwise GM loss in the right paracentral lobules correlated with bowel and bladder disability.

Citation: Mackenzie-Graham A, Kurth F, Itoh Y, Wang HJ, et al. Disability-specific atlases of gray matter loss in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. [Published online ahead of print June 13, 2016]. JAMA Neurology. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.0966.