Research Article

Visualization and quantification of disease progression in multiple system atrophy

  1. Till-Karsten Hauser MD1,2,
  2. Andreas Luft MD1,
  3. Martin Skalej MD2,3,
  4. Thomas Nägele MD2,
  5. Tilo T.J. Kircher MD4,5,
  6. Dirk T. Leube MD4,5,
  7. Jörg B. Schulz MD1,6,*

Article first published online: 7 JUL 2006

DOI: 10.1002/mds.21032

Issue

Movement Disorders

Movement Disorders

Volume 21, Issue 10, pages 1674–1681, October 2006

Additional Information

How to Cite

Hauser, T.-K., Luft, A., Skalej, M., Nägele, T., Kircher, T. T.J., Leube, D. T. and Schulz, J. B. (2006), Visualization and quantification of disease progression in multiple system atrophy. Mov. Disord., 21: 1674–1681. doi: 10.1002/mds.21032

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of General Neurology, Center of Neurology and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

  2. 2

    Department of Neuroradiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

  3. 3

    Department of Neuroradiology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

  4. 4

    Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

  5. 5

    Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

  6. 6

    Department of Neurodegeneration and Restorative Research, Center of Molecular Physiology of the Brain and Center of Neurological Medicine, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

*Department of Neurodegeneration and Restorative Research, DGF Research Center “Molecular Physiology of the Brain,” Center of Neurological Medicine, University of Göttingen, Waldweg 33, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 20 OCT 2006
  2. Article first published online: 7 JUL 2006
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 5 MAR 2006
  4. Manuscript Revised: 22 FEB 2006
  5. Manuscript Received: 26 DEC 2005

Funded by

  • DFG Research Center

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (279K)

Keywords:

  • multiple system atrophy;
  • ataxia;
  • neurodegenerative disorders;
  • parkinsonian syndromes;
  • MR imaging;
  • voxel-based morphometry

Abstract

To visualize and quantify disease progression in multiple system atrophy (MSA) from cerebellar type (MSA-C), we combined two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and 3D-based volumetry. Patients suffering from MSA-C (n = 14) were imaged twice with an interval of 2.0 ± 0.2 years. We first applied VBM to map brain morphology changes between MSA patients and controls and to identify brain areas that showed a significant amount of atrophy. Using 3D-based volumetry, we confirmed that in MSA-C patients, the brainstem including medulla and pons, vermis and cerebellar hemispheres, caudate nucleus and putamen showed significant atrophy compared with controls. Next, we used 3D-based volumetry to analyze the atrophy rates. Atrophy rates in patients with MSA were significantly different from controls for putamen (−11.4% ± 2.6%/year), vermis (−12.3% ± 2.9%/year), and cerebellar hemispheres (−6.6% ± 1.1%/year). The results show that 3D-based MRI volumetry is a tool that allows the disease progression of MSA to be followed over a time period of 2 years and suggest that it may serve as a surrogate marker in clinical trials to measure disease progression. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (279K)