J Neurol Sci 2003 Jan 15;206(1):27-30
Holtmannspotter M, Inglese M, Rovaris M, Rocca MA, Codella M, Filippi
M.
Neuroimaging Research Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Scientific
Institute and University Ospedale San Raffaele, Via Olgettina 60, 20132,
Milan, Italy
Using diffusion tensor (DT) MRI and histogram analysis, we measured mean diffusivity (Dmacr;) of basal ganglia grey matter (GM) from eight patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), 10 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and 10 healthy controls.
Patients with ADEM had higher average Dmacr; (p=0.02) and lower Dmacr; histogram peak height (p=0.008) of the basal ganglia GM than patients with MS.
Microscopic tissue damage occurs in the basal ganglia of ADEM patients, but not in MS patients with a similar burden of MRI-visible brain lesions.