Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40080735›Full record

ArticleNeurology2025

Neurodegeneration and Demyelination in the Multiple Sclerosis Spinal Cord: Clinical, Pathological, and 7T MRI Perspectives.

Kedar R Mahajan, Danielle Herman, Yufan Zheng, Caroline Androjna, Bhaskar Thoomukuntla, Daniel Ontaneda, Kunio Nakamura, Bruce D Trapp

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 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing 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

11 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Charting Cervical Spinal Cord Morphometry Across the Lifespan.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Multimodal MR Imaging for quantification of brain lipid in mice at 9.4T.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Association of Spinal Cord Radiomic Features and Disability in Multiple Sclerosis.Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
    Article
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

8 authors.

Kedar R MahajanMellen Center for MS Treatment and Research, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH.ORCID 0000-0002-0339-9876
Danielle HermanDepartment of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH; and.
Yufan ZhengDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH.
Caroline AndrojnaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH.
Bhaskar ThoomukuntlaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH.
Daniel OntanedaMellen Center for MS Treatment and Research, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH.ORCID 0000-0002-2838-9148
Kunio NakamuraDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH.ORCID 0000-0002-7833-8138
Bruce D TrappDepartment of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH; and.

Funding

Pathogenesis of Neurological Disability in Primary Diseases of MyelinR35NS097303 · NINDS · CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COM-CWRU · PI TRAPP, BRUCE D · 2017 to 2024
$6.9M
Investigation of discrete neurodegenerative changes of the in vivo multiple sclerosis spinal cord using 7T MRIR21NS136961 · NINDS · CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COM-CWRU · PI MAHAJAN, KEDAR · 2024 to 2025
$443k
NINDS NIH HHS R21 NS136961NINDS NIH HHS R35 NS097303
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesKey findings in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with progressive motor disability are spinal cord (SC) atrophy signifying irreversible axonal loss and SC demyelinated lesions. This study aimed to identify neurodegenerative changes and assess the clinical impact and pathologic characteristics of SC lesions.

methodsA cross-sectional study was performed using postmortem cervical cord segments from the Cleveland Clinic MS Rapid Autopsy Program. Inclusion included proximity to our center, absence of transmissible infections, and lack of prolonged hypoxia. In situ MRIs were performed before tissue removal and fixation followed by 7T MRI and immunohistochemistry. Quantitative T2* relaxation times were correlated with myelin, axons, and activated microglia/macrophages (major histocompatibility complex II [MHCII]) using Tukey comparison of means and a linear mixed-effects model; T2* was correlated with clinical disease characteristics using Wilcoxon rank sum.

resultsThe study included 40 MS cases (median age 58, female 55%) and 9 controls (median age 69, female 89%). A T2* threshold reliably discriminated demyelination (accuracy 89.7%, sensitivity 95.5%, and specificity 87.0%). Myelin content (95% CI -0.82 to -0.58, estimate -0.70) was the only significant predictor of T2*. T2* hyperintensities within the segments ranged from 0% to 100% (median 33.6, interquartile range 12.9-64.3) with only 57.1% demyelinated. T2*-hyperintense/myelinated regions had increased T2* relaxation time (19.2 ms, 95% CI 9.97-28.4), reduced myelin content (-8.3%, 95% CI -12.1 to -4.4), increased MHCII (3.6%, 95% CI 0.45-6.7), reduced axonal counts (-349.8, 95% CI -565.4 to -134.1), and increased axonal area (2.0 µm DISCUSSION: Thresholding 7T T2* postmortem MRI can effectively discriminate demyelinated lesions which correlate with clinical disability and cord atrophy. T2*-hyperintense/myelinated regions exhibit myelin and axonal pathology in periplaque or tract-based distributions suggestive of neurodegeneration. Limitations include sampling of 2-cm of SC across participants making conclusions about proximal and distal pathology difficult.

Indexed as

Demyelinating DiseasesMultiple SclerosisNerve DegenerationSpinal CordAdultAgedAxonsCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedMyelin Sheath

Identifiers

PMID40080735
PMCPMC11907641

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.