Journal Club Recap: April 12, 2019

April 12, 2019: At Journal Club, our experts sat down to discuss a paper on thalamic damage in pediatric MS.

Fadda et al 2019 - A surface-in gradient of thalamic damage evolves in pediatric multiple sclerosis

Previous research has proposed the hypothesis that immune proteins diffuse into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and into the superficial layers of the brain, causing damage. This group of researchers proposed that this damage begins early in the disease course and tested this theory in patients with pediatric MS. Through MRI analysis, they found that patients with MS had a gradient of damage in the thalamus, with the most damage occurring in the tissues closest to the CSF. Healthy patients did not display this damage, suggesting that this is specific to demyelinating diseases. This research, and further work on this topic, can help us understand the early stages of disease development in MS patients.