Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Multimodal brain MRI abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus and their association with disease activity and neuropsychiatric involvement: a systematic review
Authors' conclusion
Brain MRI reveals diverse structural, microstructural, functional, and metabolic abnormalities associated with cerebral involvement in SLE.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in observational studies evaluating structural and/or advanced brain MRI findings188 studies
- Outcome
- Brain MRI abnormalities in SLE
Methodological detailsPRISMA 2020, prospectively registered, Quality assessed with Joanna Briggs Institute tools, PubMed, Embase and Web of Science searched on August 4, 2026, through July 31, 2026
- PRISMA 2020
- Prospectively registered
- Quality assessed with Joanna Briggs Institute tools
- PubMed, Embase and Web of Science searched on August 4, 2026, through July 31, 2026
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
- Conventional MRI abnormalities present in over half of patients; white matter hyperintensities and cerebral atrophy most frequent
- Advanced MRI: widespread microstructural, functional, perfusion and metabolic alterations (reduced white matter integrity, disrupted functional connectivity, regional perfusion abnormalities, altered cerebral metabolites)
- Neuroimaging abnormalities frequently associated with disease activity, cumulative damage, cognitive impairment and aPL positivity
- 37 conventional and 151 advanced MRI studies
Original publication
Multimodal brain MRI abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus and their association with disease activity and neuropsychiatric involvement: a systematic review. Semin Arthritis Rheum. Published 14 September 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →