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. 2020 Sep;88(3):619-625.
doi: 10.1002/ana.25835. Epub 2020 Jul 16.

Synaptic Loss in Multiple Sclerosis Spinal Cord

Natalia Petrova  1 , Erik Nutma  2 , Daniele Carassiti  1 , James Rs Newman  1 , Sandra Amor  1   2 , Daniel R Altmann  1   3 , David Baker  1 , Klaus Schmierer  1   4
Affiliations

Synaptic Loss in Multiple Sclerosis Spinal Cord

Natalia Petrova et al. Ann Neurol. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered primarily a result of axonal loss. However, correlation with spinal cord cross-sectional area-a predictor of disability-is poor, questioning the unique role of axonal loss. We investigated the degree of synaptic loss in postmortem spinal cords (18 chronic MS, 8 healthy controls) using immunohistochemistry for synaptophysin and synapsin. Substantial (58-96%) loss of synapses throughout the spinal cord was detected, along with moderate (47%) loss of anterior horn neurons, notably in demyelinating MS lesions. We conclude that synaptic loss is significant in chronic MS, likely contributing to disability accrual. ANN NEUROL 2020;88:619-625.

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