Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Assessing grey matter structural alterations in systemic lupus erythematosus using synthetic MRI
Authors' conclusion
Grey matter alterations in patients with SLE correlate with cognitive impairment, depression and disease activity.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with SLE and age, gender and education-matched healthy controls77 SLE, 29 healthy controls (HC)
- Participants
- 20 / 57 / 29
- Exposure
- SLE vs matched healthy controls
- NPSLEn = 20
- Non-NPSLEn = 57
- HCn = 29reference
- Outcome
- Brain grey matter alterations (SyMRI) and their correlation with neuropsychological testing
Methodological detailsage, gender and education-matched healthy controls, synthetic MRI (SyMRI), correlation analysis
- Age, gender and education-matched healthy controls
- Synthetic MRI (SyMRI)
- Correlation analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Grey matter alterations on SyMRI
- Reduced grey matter volume in SLE vs HC
- p<0.05
- More extensive increases in T1 and T2 relaxation times in grey matter in NPSLE vs non-NPSLE
- p<0.001
- Lower proton density values in SLE
- p<0.001
- Lower brain parenchymal volume correlated with higher SLE Disease Activity Index
- p<0.05
- Lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)/Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores correlated with increased T1/T2 in left medial cingulate and paracingulate gyri
- p<0.05
- Higher SDS scores correlated with increased T1/T2 in left calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex
- p<0.05
- Changes also linked to disease markers (C3, C4, IgM, ESR)
- p<0.05
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Assessing grey matter structural alterations in systemic lupus erythematosus using synthetic MRI. Lupus Sci Med. Published 13 July 2025. doi:10.
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