Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42790228›Full record

ArticleNeuroImage. Clinical2026

Disentangling pontine fiber geometry and microstructure in ARSACS using advanced MRI.

Ilana R Leppert, Aziz Benbachir, Jennifer S W Campbell, Santiago Coelho, Sajjad Feizollah, Mark C Nelson, Bernard Brais, Sirio Cocozza, G Bruce Pike, Roberta La Piana and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in NeuroImage. Clinical, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

11 authors.

Ilana R LeppertMcConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological institute and Hospital, Montreal, Canada.
Aziz BenbachirDepartment of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Jennifer S W CampbellMcConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological institute and Hospital, Montreal, Canada.
Santiago CoelhoCenter for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI(2)R), Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, NY, New York, USA.
Sajjad FeizollahMcConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological institute and Hospital, Montreal, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Mark C NelsonMcConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological institute and Hospital, Montreal, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Bernard BraisDepartment of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Sirio CocozzaUniversity Hospital "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
G Bruce PikeDepartments of Radiology and Clinical Neuroscience, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Roberta La PianaDepartment of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Diagnostic Radiology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Christine L TardifMcConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological institute and Hospital, Montreal, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAutosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is a genetic disease characterized by spasticity and ataxia which reflects involvement of the corticospinal tracts (CST) and cerebellum. The primary involvement of the middle cerebellar peduncles (MCP) and transverse pontine fibers (TPF) at the crossing with the CST, and their role in the pathophysiology of the disease, is currently debated.

objectivesAdvanced MRI techniques capable of isolating sub-voxel microstructural parameters can test the hypothesis that the MCP and TPF are abnormally large, compressing the CST at their crossing, and potentially impairing CST development.

methodsTract macro- and micro-structural properties, including axon and tract caliber, axon density and geometry, and myelin content were estimated from diffusion-relaxometry (using the standard model for diffusion) and magnetization transfer imaging. These features were analyzed using tractometry profiles of the CST, MCP, and TPF in a pilot study of 9 patients and 9 age-matched controls.

resultsWhile the CST showed significant decreases in tract size, axon caliber, and myelination throughout its length compared to controls (p < 0.01), the MCP and TPF were relatively unaffected. In our cohort, neither the MCP nor the pons were enlarged. The proximal MCP showed an increase in axon caliber.

conclusionsThe increase in fractional anisotropy and axon density towards the center of the TPF could be driven by geometric confounds related to differences in the relative sizes of the CST and TPF compared to controls. This highlights the importance of investigating tract-specific microstructural profiles, particularly in regions of geometric complexity. The findings confirm the involvement of the CST, with a relatively limited involvement of the MCP and TPF.

Indexed as

ARSACSDiffusion-relaxometryMicrostructureMyelinationTractometry

Identifiers

PMID42790228
PMCPMC13636084

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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.