Abstract Details

Title The Relationship Between Clinical Hand Dexterity and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Metrics in White Matter tracts of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Topic Multiple Sclerosis

Presentation(s) P11 - Poster Session 11 (5:30 PM-6:30 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 6-016

Objective To identify areas of early white matter tract disruptions involved in hand dexterity in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Background Although loss of hand dexterity is a common finding in people with MS (pwMS), research is limited.

Design/Methods Thirty RRMS patients underwent 3T MRI scan of whole brain. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters of 37 white matter tracts were obtained. Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and Mean Diffusivity (MD) metrics were recorded, and findings were correlated clinically with dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) hand dexterity through utilizing the nine-hole peg test (9HPT). Correlation analysis to identify significant relationships was performed in SPSS v29.

Results

Mean age and disease duration of patients were 43.9±10.3 years and 6.0±7.9 years respectively, with a median expanded disability status scale (EDSS) of 1.5(1.5-3.4). Mean 9HPT scores were 23.8±8.5 seconds in the D and 26.4±9.0 seconds in the ND hand. The 9HPT-D dexterity score was positively correlated with MD in the left arcuate fasciculus (p < 0.001, r = 0.691), and negatively correlated with FA in the left arcuate fasciculus (p = 0.001, r = -0.570) and right dorsal longitudinal fasciculus (p = 0.003, r = -0.534).

In addition, 9HPT-ND dexterity score was positively correlated with MD in the right arcuate fasciculus (p < 0.001, r = 0.619), left arcuate fasciculus (p = 0.001, r = 0.586) and right cingulum (p = 0.001, r = 0.569). Moreover, it was negatively correlated with FA in the right medial lemniscus (p < 0.001, r = -0.620) and superior cerebellar peduncle (p = 0.003, r = -0.536).

Conclusions Hand dexterity is a complex process and various white matter tracts are involved. More specifically, the left arcuate fasciculus appears to play an important role in dexterity in the D hand, while bilateral arcuate fasciculi contribute to dexterity of ND hand in pwMS.

Authors/Disclosures
Carla E. Santiago-Martinez (Wayne State University) PRESENTER	Ms. Santiago-Martinez has nothing to disclose.
Sulafa G. Saffarini, MD (university of nebraska medical center)	Dr. Saffarini has nothing to disclose.
Muhammad F. Raghib, MD (Wayne State University)	Dr. Raghib has nothing to disclose.
Fen Bao	Fen Bao has nothing to disclose.
Evanthia Bernitsas, MD, FAAN (Wayne State School of Medicine)	Dr. Bernitsas has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Amgen. Dr. Bernitsas has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Vanda. The institution of Dr. Bernitsas has received research support from Roche/Genentech.

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