Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42371122›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology2026

Quantification of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease accumulation with T1-weighted high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging: validation in an independent cohort.

Philip Alexander Gremmler, Janina von der Gablentz, Julia Meyer, Benjamin Ilse, Behnaz Farahi Ghasraboonasr, Sophie Dalbert, Isabelle Jana Buchholz, Julian Grosskreutz, Robert Steinbach

Abstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Philip Alexander GremmlerDepartment of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-5566-2699
Janina von der GablentzPrecision Neurology of Neuromuscular and Motor Neuron Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0647-5923
Julia MeyerPrecision Neurology of Neuromuscular and Motor Neuron Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-3893-9427
Benjamin IlseDepartment of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2260-0803
Behnaz Farahi GhasraboonasrPrecision Neurology of Neuromuscular and Motor Neuron Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-0137-9939
Sophie DalbertPrecision Neurology of Neuromuscular and Motor Neuron Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-0339-4562
Isabelle Jana BuchholzPrecision Neurology of Neuromuscular and Motor Neuron Diseases, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-0633-8832
Julian GrosskreutzDepartment of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9525-1424
Robert SteinbachDepartment of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany. Robert.Steinbach@med.uni-jena.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3936-6010

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 413668513Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 583362031Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft EXC 2167Interdisciplinary Centre of Clinical Research of the Medical Faculty Jena ACSP 14Interdisciplinary Centre of Clinical Research of the Medical Faculty Jena PROMO-2025-01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disease with multifaceted phenotypic presentation thus obstructing objective disease staging. The D50 disease progression model is a framework to comprehensively dissect biomarker-signals towards their relevance regarding disease accumulation/phase (rD50), or disease aggressiveness (D50). Based on previous findings using 1.5-Tesla Magnetic-Resonance-Imaging (MRI), this study hypothesized that high-resolution MRI markers of Grey-Matter (GM) structural integrity would enable quantification of disease accumulation, independent of aggressiveness.

methodsA separate cohort of 75 patients with ALS and 73 Healthy Controls (HC) underwent T1-weighted 3-Tesla MRI. Voxel-Based-Morphometry measured GM and White-Matter (WM) density and Surface-Based-Morphometry assessed Cortical Thickness (CT). Non-parametric Threshold-Free-Cluster-Enhancement with 5000 permutations was applied for inter-group and regression contrasts, whilst correcting for possibly interfering co-variates and applying Family-Wise-Error-adjustment.

resultsCompared with HC, the ALS cohort showed widespread decreases of CT and GM/WM density (p < 0.001). These case-control effects were driven by patients scanned during rD50-defined disease Phase 2 (p < 0.001). Within the ALS-cohort, direct Phase 2 versus Phase 1 contrasts revealed spatially-distributed decreases, reflecting higher disease accumulation (p < 0.05). These were independent of disease aggressiveness (and onset-region), as corrected for in the models. Accordingly, all contrasts assessing aggressiveness did not yield significant results.

conclusionsThese semi-automated analyses of T1-weighted-images captured disease accumulation related GM structural integrity-loss in this cohort scanned with 3-Tesla MRI, independent of the underlying disease aggressiveness. This principle was validated across different scanners and field strengths, supporting its application for objective and non-invasive staging of patients with ALS, whereby true longitudinal studies are necessary.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisGray MatterMagnetic Resonance ImagingWhite MatterAdultAgedCase-Control StudiesCohort StudiesDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansImage Processing, Computer-AssistedMaleMiddle AgedAmyotrophic laterals sclerosisBiomarkerCortical thicknessD50-modelMagnetic-Resonance-Imaging (MRI)Voxel-Based-Morphometry (VBM)

Identifiers

PMID42371122
PMCPMC13314698

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.