Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
203,234 studies31 sourcesUpdated 1 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine

Thalamic atrophy in active and inactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients: A comparative study

  • Shadi Bahrami1,2
  • Neda Ramezani1,2
  • Mohammad Yazdan Panah2
  • Saeed Vaheb2
  • Omid Mirmosayyeb1,2
  • Fariba Davanian2
  • Sahand Golparvar2
  • Iman Adibi1,2
  • Vahid Shaygannejad1,2
  1. 1Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
  2. 2Isfahan Neurosciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Read full textDOICite

Abstract

Background:: Thalamic atrophy may be an indicator of neurodegeneration in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (pwSPMS). The atrophy usually begins asymmetrically, and the thalamic asymmetry index (TAI) can be used to estimate the severity of neurodegeneration. SPMS is commonly divided into two groups of active and inactive. No study has compared TAI between SPMS groups and examine its relationships with cognitive and motor measures in pwSPMS. This study aimed to compare the TAI between active and inactive pwSPMS and to examine its relationship with key clinical, cognitive, and motor variables.

Methods:: In this cross-sectional study, 38 pwSPMS (15 active and 23 inactive) were enrolled from February to November 2024. MRI-based volumetric measurements were used to determine thalamic volumes and calculate the TAI. Cognitive and motor tests, including the SDMT, PASAT, and 9HPT were also administered alongside clinical examinations.

Results:: Active SPMS patients had significantly lower NTV compared to inactive patients (Cohen’s d = -1.58, p < 0.001). No significant difference in TAI was observed between groups. NTV correlated with cognitive scores in both active (r = 0.74, P = 0.002) and inactive (r = 0.65, p < 0.001) groups and with disability in the inactive group (r = -0.5, P= 0.014). Active SPMS patients showed worse cognitive and motor performance.

Conclusion:: Thalamic atrophy is more severe in active SPMS and is associated with worse cognitive and motor outcomes. While thalamic asymmetry did not differentiate between subgroups, it may serve as a marker for functional status in SPMS.

Related

  1. Chronic lesion expansion persists in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and is associated with neurodegeneration
    S. Klistorner, M. Barnett, A. Klistorner
    medRxivPreprintAll rights reservedFull textNeurologymedRxiv
  2. Prospective validation of an uncertainty-aware machine learning model for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis classification
    A. Parakkal Sreenivasan, Y. Noui, I. Erngren +3
    medRxivPreprintCC BYFull textNeurologymedRxiv
  3. Case Report: Feasibility of clinic-to-home multichannel FES-assisted gait rehabilitation in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis
    Michael Leal, Amine Metani, Perrine Séguin +1
    Frontiers in Rehabilitation SciencesPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textGeneral medicinePMC
  4. A 35-Year-Old Woman With Multiple Sclerosis and a New Atypical Thalamic Lesion: A Case Report From the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Case Conference Proceedings.
    Nara Miriam Michaelson, Isabel C Arrillaga-Romany, Justin T Jordan +5
    Neurology(R) neuroimmunology & neuroinflammationPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMC
  5. Management of a progressive post–Gamma Knife thalamic cyst using an Ommaya reservoir: illustrative case
    Antonia Gragg, Marco Failla Mulone, Dominic A. Siler +1
    Journal of Neurosurgery: Case LessonsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textNeurologyPMCEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{bahrami2026thalamic,
  title = {{Thalamic atrophy in active and inactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients: A comparative study}},
  author = {Shadi Bahrami and Neda Ramezani and Mohammad Yazdan Panah and Saeed Vaheb and Omid Mirmosayyeb and Fariba Davanian and Sahand Golparvar and Iman Adibi and Vahid Shaygannejad},
  journal = {Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.22088/cjim.17.3.595},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.22088/cjim.17.3.595},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Thalamic atrophy in active and inactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients: A comparative study
AU  - Shadi Bahrami
AU  - Neda Ramezani
AU  - Mohammad Yazdan Panah
AU  - Saeed Vaheb
AU  - Omid Mirmosayyeb
AU  - Fariba Davanian
AU  - Sahand Golparvar
AU  - Iman Adibi
AU  - Vahid Shaygannejad
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/01
JO  - Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine
DO  - 10.22088/cjim.17.3.595
UR  - https://doi.org/10.22088/cjim.17.3.595
AB  - Background:: Thalamic atrophy may be an indicator of neurodegeneration in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (pwSPMS). The atrophy usually begins asymmetrically, and the thalamic asymmetry index (TAI) can be used to estimate the severity of neurodegeneration. SPMS is commonly divided into two groups of active and inactive. No study has compared TAI between SPMS groups and examine its relationships with cognitive and motor measures in pwSPMS. This study aimed to compare the TAI between active and inactive pwSPMS and to examine its relationship with key clinical, cognitive, and motor variables.  Methods:: In this cross-sectional study, 38 pwSPMS (15 active and 23 inactive) were enrolled from February to November 2024. MRI-based volumetric measurements were used to determine thalamic volumes and calculate the TAI. Cognitive and motor tests, including the SDMT, PASAT, and 9HPT were also administered alongside clinical examinations.  Results:: Active SPMS patients had significantly lower NTV compared to inactive patients (Cohen’s d = -1.58, p < 0.001). No significant difference in TAI was observed between groups. NTV correlated with cognitive scores in both active (r = 0.74, P = 0.002) and inactive (r = 0.65, p < 0.001) groups and with disability in the inactive group (r = -0.5, P= 0.014). Active SPMS patients showed worse cognitive and motor performance.  Conclusion:: Thalamic atrophy is more severe in active SPMS and is associated with worse cognitive and motor outcomes. While thalamic asymmetry did not differentiate between subgroups, it may serve as a marker for functional status in SPMS.
SN  - 2008-6164
SN  - 2008-6172
ER  -