Gray matter atrophy patterns in multiple sclerosis: A 10-year source-based morphometry study

OBJECTIVES: To investigate spatial patterns of gray matter (GM) atrophy and their association with disability progression in patients with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in a longitudinal setting. METHODS: = 67) at the end of the study. An optimized, longitudinal source-based morphometry (SBM) pipeline, which utilizes independent component analysis, was used to identify eight spatial patterns of common GM volume co-variation in a data-driven manner. GM volume at baseline and rates of change were compared between patients with CDP and those without CDP. The patterns of GM atrophy associated with the development of CDP included areas involved in motor functioning and cognitive domains such as learning and memory. CONCLUSION: SBM analysis offers a novel way to study the temporal evolution of regional GM atrophy. Over 10 years of follow-up, disability progression in MS is related to GM atrophy in areas associated with motor and cognitive functioning.