Thalamic atrophy in active and inactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients: A comparative study.

Authors

Shadi Bahrami, Neda Ramezani, Mohammad Yazdan Panah, Saeed Vaheb, Omid Mirmosayyeb, Fariba Davanian, Sahand Golparvar, Iman Adibi, Vahid Shaygannejad

Published in

Caspian journal of internal medicine. Volume 17. Issue 3. Pages 595-602. Epub Sep 01, 2026.

Abstract

Thalamic atrophy may be an indicator of neurodegeneration in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (pwSPMS). The atrophy usually begins asymmetrically, and the thalamic asymmetry index (TAI) can be used to estimate the severity of neurodegeneration. SPMS is commonly divided into two groups of active and inactive. No study has compared TAI between SPMS groups and examine its relationships with cognitive and motor measures in pwSPMS. This study aimed to compare the TAI between active and inactive pwSPMS and to examine its relationship with key clinical, cognitive, and motor variables.
In this cross-sectional study, 38 pwSPMS (15 active and 23 inactive) were enrolled from February to November 2024. MRI-based volumetric measurements were used to determine thalamic volumes and calculate the TAI. Cognitive and motor tests, including the SDMT, PASAT, and 9HPT were also administered alongside clinical examinations.
Active SPMS patients had significantly lower NTV compared to inactive patients (Cohen's d = -1.58, p < 0.001). No significant difference in TAI was observed between groups. NTV correlated with cognitive scores in both active (r = 0.74, P = 0.002) and inactive (r = 0.65, p < 0.001) groups and with disability in the inactive group (r = -0.5, P= 0.014). Active SPMS patients showed worse cognitive and motor performance.
Thalamic atrophy is more severe in active SPMS and is associated with worse cognitive and motor outcomes. While thalamic asymmetry did not differentiate between subgroups, it may serve as a marker for functional status in SPMS.

PMID:
42964250
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 31 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.