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NEW: Reseach shows gray matter atrophy in pediatric MS

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:04 pm
by cheerleader
The thalamus is the area of the brain being studied by Haacke and Zivadinov with SWI technology.
MRI results showed that children with MS have overall smaller brain volumes than expected for their age. Regional analysis taking into account differences in head size showed that the thalamus, a key brain structure involved in attention, arousal, and memory, was reduced by 11.9 percent in the MS patients. The corpus callosum, which is the largest white matter tract in the brain and important for transmitting information between brain hemispheres, was reduced by five percent.

“A key component of MS onset during childhood relates to its effect on the developing brain,” says Till. “Overall, our findings suggest that the young age of childhood-onset MS patients does not protect them from the negative impact of the disease. We know that the earlier a patient develops MS, the greater likelihood their language development will be negatively impacted,” she says.

Approximately 24 to 40 percent of MS patients in the study showed impaired cognitive performance on measures of processing speed and visuomotor integration (e.g. copying designs). Impairments were also noted in complex attention (e.g. simultaneously attending to multiple stimuli), visual-spatial abilities, expressive language, and executive functions such as shifting attention back and forth between two stimuli, planning and organizing. In addition, the children identified with global cognitive impairment tended to be male and to have the disease for a longer duration.

“Interestingly, physical disability did not correlate with cognitive impairment, suggesting that cognitive dysfunction can be present in the absence of physical disability,” Till says.
link

cheer

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 10:46 pm
by MrSuccess
that last paragraph ..... has my attention .



Mr. Success

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 4:35 am
by 1eye
I thought it was well known that physical and mental disabilities are likely located in different brain parts. The left half of the brain also has more of the cognitive stuff in it too I think, but I am no expert. Here is where neurologists really do contribute... I read a book about a stroke victim who also happened to be a neurologist (she wrote the book). Her name is Jill Bolte Taylor. See for yourself.

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:35 am
by MegansMom
Does anyone know if any young pediatric patients have been treated for CCSVI with PTA (venoplasty)? What are the ages?

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:43 am
by cheerleader
Hi one eye--
yes, we do know that physical disabilities are linked to different parts of the brain, you're absolutely right.

But, we didn't know that gray matter atrophy shows up so early in MS. (It's already been found in adults with MS) These are kids with gray matter loss....before lots of white matter lesions or accrued physical disability.

They have cognitive issues, but are still mobile. If this is what the beginning of MS looks like in many, loss of gray matter in the thalamus--and inflammation and white matter lesions are not there yet...we need to understand what is going on in the gray matter that is creating brain tissue loss.

This is where Haacke and Zivadinov's study comes in --they have found larger iron deposition amounts in the deep gray matter, which is drained by the deep cerebral veins and have correlated this deposition in those with diagnosed CCSVI:
http://www.fondazionehilarescere.org/pd ... 3-ANGY.pdf
cheer

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:48 am
by Cece
MegansMom wrote:Does anyone know if any young pediatric patients have been treated for CCSVI with PTA (venoplasty)? What are the ages?
The only one I'm aware of was a 17-year-old.

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 9:43 am
by 1eye
Apparently pediatric patients are the most spectacular responders as well to hyperbaric oxygen therapy because they have a lot of healing left available (telomeres? stem cells? human growth factor? whatever...). So they would be ideal candidates if they did not heal completely after the procedure.

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2011 4:46 am
by 1eye
They have cognitive issues, but are still mobile. If this is what the beginning of MS looks like in many, loss of gray matter in the thalamus--and inflammation and white matter lesions are not there yet...we need to understand what is going on in the gray matter that is creating brain tissue loss.

This is where Haacke and Zivadinov's study comes in --they have found larger iron deposition amounts in the deep gray matter, which is drained by the deep cerebral veins and have correlated this deposition in those with diagnosed CCSVI:
http://www.fondazionehilarescere.org/pd ... 3-ANGY.pdf
Is there any evidence that pediatric patients have any amounts, or unexpected amounts of iron deposits? If not it may be because it is an issue which affects only the older patients who have had more time for these deposits to build up.

It seems to me the problem of development extends to the endothelium especially if it's having any difficulty, and that small vessel development may occur last, or development of any of these cognitive areas may depend on blood vessel development that is not going well because of energy issues too.