Is Pediatric-onset Multiple Sclerosis a Neurodegenerative Disorder?

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (onset less than age 18) compromises age-expected brain growth, thus implicating the neurodegenerative component of multiple sclerosis as an early-onset process, which may have diagnostic and potentially therapeutic implications for affected individuals. In this st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurology Alert 2015-04, Vol.37 (8)
Main Authors: Mallack, Eric, Kosofsky, Barry E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Multiple sclerosis
Neurodegeneration
Neurology
Pediatrics
Puberty
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Summary:Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (onset less than age 18) compromises age-expected brain growth, thus implicating the neurodegenerative component of multiple sclerosis as an early-onset process, which may have diagnostic and potentially therapeutic implications for affected individuals. In this study, the authors pursued longitudinal MR-based volumetric analyses to compare the growth trajectory of the brain, including deep grey structures — thalamus, putamen, caudate, and globus pallidus — by comparing regional brain volumes in patients with pediatric and adolescent-onset MS with age-matched controls. Additionally, there is progressive loss of brain and thalamic volume over time, implicating a component of brain atrophy. [...]the neurodegenerative aspect of MS is not a late-onset complication.
ISSN:0741-4234
2168-4251