Corticospinal Tract Disease & Sensory-Motor Disability in Multiple Sclerosis

Fernanda Tovar-Moll¹, Annie Chiu, Sungyoung Auh, Mary Ehrmantraut, Joan Ohayon, Francesca Bagnato

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography is a unique tool for identifying the trajectory of white matter (WM) fibers and providing information about the integrity of specific tracts in vivo. We exploited the dual capability of DTI in permitting: (1) topographically specific disease measures as well as (2) reliable quantification of disease outside visible lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). 3T tractography allowed quantification of regional changes in corticospinal tract (VST) in patients with MS and showed that the impact of diffuse disease of the CST in the sensory-motor disability is greatly mediated by the regional (i.e., CST) lesion load.