Volumetric Brain Loss Correlates With a Relapsing MOGAD Disease Course

Ariel Rechtman; Livnat Brill; Omri Zveik; Benjamin Uliel; Nitzan Haham; Atira S Bick; Netta Levin; Adi Vaknin-Dembinsky

doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.867190

Volumetric Brain Loss Correlates With a Relapsing MOGAD Disease Course

Front Neurol. 2022 Mar 24:13:867190. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.867190. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Ariel Rechtman¹, Livnat Brill¹, Omri Zveik¹, Benjamin Uliel¹, Nitzan Haham¹, Atira S Bick², Netta Levin², Adi Vaknin-Dembinsky¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroimmunology and the Agnes-Ginges Center for Neurogenetics, Hadassah-Medical Center, Ein-Kerem, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
² Functional Imaging Unit, Department of Neurology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.

Abstract

Background: Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disorders (MOGAD) have evolved as a distinct group of inflammatory, demyelinating diseases of the CNS. MOGAD can present with a monophasic or relapsing disease course with distinct clinical manifestations.However, data on the disease course and disability outcomes of these patients are scarce. We aim to compare brain volumetric changes for MOGAD patients with different disease phenotypes and HCs.

Methods: Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and clinical data were obtained for 22 MOGAD patients and 22 HCs. Volumetric brain information was determined using volBrain and MDbrain platforms.

Results: We found decreased brain volume in MOGAD patients compared to HCs, as identified in volume of total brain, gray matter, white matter and deep gray matter (DGM) structures. In addition, we found significantly different volumetric changes between patients with relapsing and monophasic disease course, with significantly decreased volume of total brain and DGM, cerebellum and hippocampus in relapsing patients during the first year of diagnosis. A significant negative correlation was found between EDSS and volume of thalamus.

Conclusions: Brain MRI analyses revealed volumetric differences between MOGAD patients and HCs, and between patients with different disease phenotypes. Decreased gray matter volume during the first year of diagnosis, especially in the cerebrum and hippocampus of MOGAD patients was associated with relapsing disease course.

Keywords: MOGAD; brain MRI; brain atrophy; brain volume; relapsing MOGAD.