Is it possible for someone with MS to have ONLY Gray Matter lesions on the brain?

[julia111]

I'm thinking of limbolanders who have gray matter symptoms, but normal MRI's of their brains.  

[doni54]

bump...................

[julia111]

doni

Thanks for the links!  I'll check them out!   Julia

[doni54]

I found a few good articles and studies today while researching gray matter lesions in MS.  Seems that most I've read say that most of the gray matter lesions are found in PPMS and SPMS.

My eyes started giving out so I had to quit until tomorrow.  

Here are a few sites you might want to check out.  Hope it's not too many.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/507375_1
Study about gray matter & migraines in MS
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http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/full/220/3/606
Study has lots of picts
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17325269

Comment in:
Neurology. 2007 Feb 27;68(9):E9-10.

Gray matter involvement in multiple sclerosis.
Pirko I, Lucchinetti CF, Sriram S, Bakshi R.

Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Gray matter (GM) involvement is detected even in the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), and GM atrophy occurs at a faster rate than white matter (WM) atrophy early in the disease course. Studies published to date establish that 1) GM involvement and in particular cortical demyelination can be extensive in MS; 2) GM pathology may occur in part independently of WM lesion formation; 3) a primarily GM-related process may be the earliest manifestation of MS; 4) GM involvement is associated with physical disability, fatigue, and cognitive impairment in MS; and 5) GM disease might help explain the observed dissociation between markers of inflammatory demyelination (relapses, WM gadolinium enhancement, WM lesion burden) and disease progression. It remains likely that GM damage is related to WM damage. However, continued studies of GM pathology as well as neuronal and axonal involvement in MS and related experimental models are necessary to better understand the etiology and pathogenesis of the degenerative components.
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http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/MultipleSclerosis/4009
Good article
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http://neuropathology.neoucom.edu/chapter6/chapter6aMS.html
Has lots of good pictures of brain and lesions
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http://www.ajnr.org/cgi/content/abstract/20/9/1613
Okay article
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http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/62/4/578.pdf
7 page study
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http://members.tripod.com/ThJuland/abstr06c-2g5.html#1
Gray Matter Pathology In Multiple Sclerosis
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http://members.tripod.com/thjuland/abstr04a-2g6.html#8
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http://www.geocities.com/thjuland/mri2g2.html#10
Assessment of Normal-Appearing White And Gray Matter In Primary/Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: A Diffusion-Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathophysiology_of_multiple_sclerosis

[julia111]

Doni & Ess,

Thanks for your input!  As I research my own symptoms, I repeatedly come across info about Gray Matter - involving MS, Parkinson's, Schizophrenia .  .  .  

.  .  .  and most recently Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, both of which I have been diagnosed with.  In these two cases, the articles did not speak of Gray Matter lesions, but of a significant loss of Gray Matter volume.  Interesting!

Best wishes,
Julia

[doni54]

Hi Julia,

I'm one of those limbolanders with a clear brain MRI (only one I've had so far), done on Oct 13, 2008.

I was shocked that my MRI was clear, it was a 3T machine.  Here are some of the symptoms I have that I don't understand, since nothing was showing on my MRI:

I have eye problems...twitching, jumping, pain on movement, blurred vision sometimes to the point I can't focus.  

The feeling that bugs are crawling on my face and head and other body parts.  

Unable to talk at times cause just can't think of what to say, or how to say it.

No short term memory, concentration and sometimes just can't force myself to finish a simple task.

Attention tremors...tried to use my son's lap top the other day and couldn't because I couldn't keep my hand still enough to get the pointer where I needed it. Although this symptom could be from a spine lesion?

There are others, but these are my worse.  Since this subject has been brought up here on the forum, I have to say that it has made me quite curious on the subject.  I do intend to do some research, but like ess says, until the medical community comes up with a way to test the gray matter, I guess we can't have definite answers.

I'll post if I find any facts that might enlighten us.

Have a good day

doni

[essdipity]

Hi, Julia. In theory this is possible. However, as yet we have no way of visualizing gray matter lesions so it's not possible to prove this, short I think of autopsy. So we have to await better techniques from the medical community.

If anyone knows of development of machinery to identify such lesions, please let us hear about it. Not a finished product, as I know that does not exist, but something in the works.

ess