July 10, 2008

MS has largely been termed a white matter (WM) disease with a focus on lesions and myelin breakdown. More and more evidence is being produced to indicate that gray matter (GM) plays a significant role.

This study looked at WM and GM in people with long-duration MS. They conclude that in MS patients with a relatively long and homogeneous disease duration, GM atrophy is more marked than WM atrophy, and reflects disease subtype and disability to a greater extent than WM atrophy or lesions.