Skull Size Tied to Disability Risk in MS

BOSTON — Multiple sclerosis patients with larger intracranial volumes — a measure of maximal lifetime brain growth (MLBG) — scored better on cognition and physical function tests than those with smaller skull sizes, a researcher said here.

MLBG, unadjusted for body size or other factors except for sex, was predictive of PASAT-3 cognition scores with a delta-R2value of 0.066 (P<0.001) — with larger volume correlated with higher scores — in a cross-sectional study of 352 MS patients, according to James Sumowski, PhD, senior research scientist at the Kessler Foundation in West Orange, N.J.

Values for MLBG were also significantly associated with faster times on the 25-foot walk test and higher scores on a finger-tapping test, he said during a poster session at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting, held jointly this year with its North American counterpart.

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