Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37022479›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology2023

Brainstem-cortex disconnection in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: bulbar impairment, genotype associations, asymptomatic changes and biomarker opportunities.

Marlene Tahedl, Ee Ling Tan, Rangariroyashe H Chipika, Jennifer C Hengeveld, Alice Vajda, Mark A Doherty, Russell L McLaughlin, We Fong Siah, Orla Hardiman, Peter Bede

Open access · hybridAbstract read
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 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
5.1field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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

13 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. New developments in imaging in ALS.Journal of neurology · 2025
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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 1 institution in 1 country.

Marlene TahedlComputational Neuroimaging Group (CNG), Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Room 5.43, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland.
Ee Ling TanComputational Neuroimaging Group (CNG), Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Room 5.43, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland.
Rangariroyashe H ChipikaComputational Neuroimaging Group (CNG), Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Room 5.43, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland.
Jennifer C HengeveldSmurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Alice VajdaSmurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Mark A DohertySmurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Russell L McLaughlinSmurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
We Fong SiahComputational Neuroimaging Group (CNG), Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Room 5.43, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland.
Orla HardimanComputational Neuroimaging Group (CNG), Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Room 5.43, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland.
Peter BedeComputational Neuroimaging Group (CNG), Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Room 5.43, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland. bedep@tcd.ie.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0492-4772
Trinity College Dublin · IE

Funding

Health Research Board HRB EIA-2017-019Health Research Board JPND-Cofund-2-2019-1Motor Neurone Disease Association 898-792
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBulbar dysfunction is a cardinal feature of ALS with important quality of life and management implications. The objective of this study is the longitudinal evaluation of a large panel imaging metrics pertaining to bulbar dysfunction, encompassing cortical measures, structural and functional cortico-medullary connectivity indices and brainstem metrics.

methodsA standardised, multimodal imaging protocol was implemented with clinical and genetic profiling to systematically appraise the biomarker potential of specific metrics. A total of 198 patients with ALS and 108 healthy controls were included.

resultsLongitudinal analyses revealed progressive structural and functional disconnection between the motor cortex and the brainstem over time. Cortical thickness reduction was an early feature on cross-sectional analyses with limited further progression on longitudinal follow-up. Receiver operating characteristic analyses of the panel of MR metrics confirmed the discriminatory potential of bulbar imaging measures between patients and controls and area-under-the-curve values increased significantly on longitudinal follow-up. C9orf72 carriers exhibited lower brainstem volumes, lower cortico-medullary structural connectivity and faster cortical thinning. Sporadic patients without bulbar symptoms, already exhibit significant brainstem and cortico-medullary connectivity alterations. DISCUSSION: Our results indicate that ALS is associated with multi-level integrity change from cortex to brainstem. The demonstration of significant corticobulbar alterations in patients without bulbar symptoms confirms considerable presymptomatic disease burden in sporadic ALS. The systematic assessment of radiological measures in a single-centre academic study helps to appraise the diagnostic and monitoring utility of specific measures for future clinical and clinical trial applications.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisBiomarkersBrain StemCross-Sectional StudiesHeterozygoteHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingQuality of LifeBiomarkersAmyotrophic lateral sclerosisBiomarkersBulbar dysfunctionClinical trialsMotor neuron diseaseMRINeuroimaging

Identifiers

PMID37022479
PMCPMC10267265
OpenAlexW4362657370

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.