Objective:

We evaluated the difference in tChPV between AA and CAU MS patients.

Background:

Imaging studies have suggested a possible involvement of the choroid plexus (CP) in multiple sclerosis (MS) and a potential association with neuroinflammation. It is unclear whether the CP plays a similar role in both African American (AA) and Caucasian (CAU) patients with MS. AA have a higher degree of neuroinflammatory activity that contributes to poorer outcomes.

Design/Methods:

Fifty-eight AA and sixty-one CAU MS patients were included in this cross-sectional study. Each patient underwent a whole brain MRI scan on a SIEMENS 3T Verio system. FreeSurfer software package (v7) performed automated segmentation of the CP within the lateral ventricles on 3D T1-weighted images. tChPV was calculated by adding the CP volumes measured in the left and right lateral ventricles. Normalized choroid plexus volume (nChPV) was defined as the ratio of tChPV to total intracranial volume (TIV) x1000. Disability was assessed using the expanded disability status scale (EDSS). DD was measured as the number of years the patient had MS. tChPV was adjusted for age, gender, DD, and EDSS. Analysis was performed using SPSS v29. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant.

Results:

The mean age of AA patients (females=41, males=17) was 39.8 years±9.6 and that of CAU patients (females 35, males 26) was 42.6 years±11.3. The median EDSS in AA and CAU patients was 3.0 (1.5-4.5) and 2.5 (1.5-3.8) respectively. nChPV in AA was 0.933±0.312 and was 0.917±0.303 in CAU patients. No statistically significant difference in nChPV was found between AA and CAU MS patients (p= 0.308, R-Squared=0.280). 

Conclusions:

No significant difference in the nChRV was found between AA and CAU. Larger sample size is needed to evaluate for differences in nChPV in both populations.