Daniel Rigotti1, Matilde Inglese1,
Nissa Perry1, James Babb1, Joseph Herbert2,
Oded Gonen1
1Radiology, NYU School of Medicine, New
York, NY, United States; 2Neurology, NYU School of Medicine, New
York, NY, United States
The
irreversible effects of multiple sclerosis are chiefly caused by neuronal
loss. The global concentration of the neuron-specific amino-acid derivative
N-acetylaspartate (WBNAA1) has been shown to be a sensitive marker for
diffuse neurodegeneration in cross-sectional studies. Here we show data from
a year-long longitudinal study of nineteen newly-diagnosed MS patients where
we detect a significant and biologically relevant serial decline in WBNAA.
This is the first time, to our knowledge, that quantifiable changes
reflecting ongoing pathogenesis have been measured in MS using WBNAA.