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Thalamic atrophy is an early imaging feature of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is thought to reflect neurodegenerative processes.
To examine the evolution of thalamic atrophy in MS, investigators conducted a prospective longitudinal study involving 520 patients with relapse-onset MS and 81 healthy controls who received annual MRI brain scans. MS patients received 2485 scans during a mean follow-up of 4.1 years; controls received 147 scans during a mean follow-up of 1.3 years.
Results were as follows:
The annual thalamic volume loss from baseline was significantly greater in MS patients than in controls (−0.71% vs. −0.28%).
A linear decline in thalamic volume was seen in each 5-year epoch during a disease duration of 20 years.
The annual thalamic vo…