Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39847748›Full record

ArticleNeurology2025

Conventional MRI-Based Structural Disconnection and Morphometric Similarity Networks and Their Clinical Correlates in Multiple Sclerosis.

Mario Tranfa, Maria Petracca, Marcello Moccia, Alessandra Scaravilli, Frederik Barkhof, Vincenzo Brescia Morra, Antonio Carotenuto, Sara Collorone, Andrea Elefante, Fabrizia Falco and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
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  5. Article
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  7. Article
  8. Structural MRI of brain similarity networks.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2025
    Review
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

18 authors.

Mario TranfaDepartment of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University "Federico II," Naples, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-4451-4746
Maria PetraccaDepartment of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9429-2769
Marcello MocciaMultiple Sclerosis Unit, Policlinico Federico II University Hospital, Naples, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2613-3090
Alessandra ScaravilliDepartment of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University "Federico II," Naples, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6375-5783
Frederik BarkhofDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, MS Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3543-3706
Vincenzo Brescia MorraDepartment of Neurosciences and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II," Italy.
Antonio CarotenutoDepartment of Neurosciences and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II," Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1574-9693
Sara ColloroneQueen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-1506-8983
Andrea ElefanteDepartment of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University "Federico II," Naples, Italy.
Fabrizia FalcoDepartment of Neurosciences and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II," Italy.
Roberta LanzilloDepartment of Neurosciences and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II," Italy.
Luigi LorenziniDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, MS Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-9756-881X
Menno M SchoonheimDepartment of Anatomy and Neurosciences, MS Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and.ORCID 0000-0002-2504-6959
Ahmed T ToosyQueen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-4441-3750
Arturo BrunettiDepartment of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University "Federico II," Naples, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-7057-3494
Sirio CocozzaDepartment of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University "Federico II," Naples, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0300-5160
Mario QuarantelliInstitute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-7836-454X
Giuseppe PontilloDepartment of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University "Federico II," Naples, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5425-1890

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesAlthough multiple sclerosis (MS) can be conceptualized as a network disorder, brain network analyses typically require advanced MRI sequences not commonly acquired in clinical practice. Using conventional MRI, we assessed cross-sectional and longitudinal structural disconnection and morphometric similarity networks in people with MS (pwMS), along with their relationship with clinical disability.

methodsIn this longitudinal monocentric study, 3T structural MRI of pwMS and healthy controls (HC) was retrospectively analyzed. Physical and cognitive disabilities were assessed with the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and the symbol digit modalities test (SDMT), respectively. Demyelinating lesions were automatically segmented, and the corresponding masks were used to assess pairwise structural disconnection between atlas-defined brain regions based on normative tractography data. Using the Morphometric Inverse Divergence method, we computed morphometric similarity between cortical regions based on FreeSurfer surface reconstruction. Using network-based statistics (NBS) and its extension NBS-predict, we tested whether subject-level connectomes were associated with disease status, progression, clinical disability, and long-term confirmed disability progression (CDP), independently from global lesion burden and atrophy.

resultsWe studied 461 pwMS (age = 37.2 ± 10.6 years, F/M = 324/137), corresponding to 1,235 visits (mean follow-up time = 1.9 ± 2.0 years, range = 0.1-13.3 years), and 55 HC (age = 42.4 ± 15.7 years; F/M = 25/30). Long-term clinical follow-up was available for 285 pwMS (mean follow-up time = 12.4 ± 2.8 years), 127 of whom (44.6%) exhibited CDP. At baseline, structural disconnection in pwMS was mostly centered around the thalami and cortical sensory and association hubs, while morphometric similarity was extensively disrupted ( DISCUSSION: Structural disconnection and morphometric similarity networks, as assessed through conventional MRI, are sensitive to MS-related brain damage and its progression. They explain disease-related clinical disability and predict its long-term evolution independently from global lesion burden and atrophy, potentially adding to established MRI measures as network-based biomarkers of disease severity and progression.

Indexed as

BrainMagnetic Resonance ImagingMultiple SclerosisNerve NetAdultConnectomeCross-Sectional StudiesDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID39847748
PMCPMC11758936

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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.