Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36509983›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology2023

Analysis of brain and spinal MRI measures in a common domain to investigate directional neurodegeneration in motor neuron disease.

C Toh, A Keslake, T Payne, A Onwuegbuzie, J Harding, K Baster, N Hoggard, P J Shaw, I D Wilkinson, T M Jenkins

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

C TohSheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
A KeslakeSheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
T PayneSheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
A OnwuegbuzieSheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
J HardingSheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
K BasterSchool of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
N HoggardAcademic Unit of Radiology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
P J ShawSheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
I D WilkinsonAcademic Unit of Radiology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
T M JenkinsSheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. t.m.jenkins@sheffield.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0342-7184
University of Sheffield · GBSheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · GBRoyal Perth Hospital · AU

Funding

NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre IS-BRC-1215-20017
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and cervical spinal cord is often performed in diagnostic evaluation of suspected motor neuron disease/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (MND/ALS). Analysis of MRI-derived tissue damage metrics in a common domain facilitates group-level inferences on pathophysiology. This approach was applied to address competing hypotheses of directionality of neurodegeneration, whether anterograde, cranio-caudal dying-forward from precentral gyrus or retrograde, dying-back.

methodsIn this cross-sectional study, MRI was performed on 75 MND patients and 13 healthy controls. Precentral gyral thickness was estimated from volumetric T1-weighted images using FreeSurfer, corticospinal tract fractional anisotropy (FA) from diffusion tensor imaging using FSL, and cross-sectional cervical cord area between C1-C8 levels using Spinal Cord Toolbox. To analyse these multimodal data within a common domain, individual parameter estimates representing tissue damage at each corticospinal tract level were first converted to z-scores, referenced to healthy control norms. Mixed-effects linear regression models were then fitted to these z-scores, with gradients hypothesised to represent directionality of neurodegeneration.

resultsAt group-level, z-scores did not differ significantly between precentral gyral and intracranial corticospinal tract tissue damage estimates (regression coefficient - 0.24, [95% CI - 0.62, 0.14], p = 0.222), but step-changes were evident between intracranial corticospinal tract and C1 (1.14, [95% CI 0.74, 1.53], p < 0.001), and between C5 and C6 cord levels (0.98, [95% CI 0.58, 1.38], p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Analysis of brain and cervical spinal MRI data in a common domain enabled investigation of pathophysiological hypotheses in vivo. A cranio-caudal step-change in MND patients was observed, and requires further investigation in larger cohorts.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisMotor Neuron DiseaseBrainCross-Sectional StudiesDiffusion Tensor ImagingHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingPyramidal TractsAmyotrophic lateral sclerosisMotor neuron diseaseMRINeurodegenerative disease

Identifiers

PMID36509983
PMCPMC9971079
OpenAlexW4311181967

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.