Sonographic basal ganglia alterations are related to non-motor symptoms in multiple sclerosis.

The anatomical basis of cognitive dysfunction and other non-motor symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS) is poorly understood. In MS patients, transcranial sonography (TCS) shows neurodegenerative disease-like lesions of the substantia nigra (SN) and basal ganglia, thought to reflect iron accumulation. The present study deals with the question of whether sonographic changes of SN, brainstem raphe, lenticular nucleus (LN) or caudate nucleus are related to non-motor symptoms of MS.

Transcranial brain sonography findings related to neuropsychological impairment in multiple sclerosis.

Cognitive dysfunction, fatigue and mood disorder contribute to the neuropsychological impairment that is common in multiple sclerosis (MS). The present paper reviews application of transcranial brain sonography (TCS) in MS patients and TCS findings related to neuropsychological dysfunction. TCS is a new neuroimaging method displaying tissue echogenicity of the brain through the intact skull.

Parkinson's disease-like midbrain sonography abnormalities are frequent in depressive disorders.

Substantia nigra (SN) hyperechogenicity is a characteristic transcranial sonography (TCS) finding in idiopathic Parkinson's disease. SN hyperechogenicity, found also in approximately 10% of healthy adults, was related to a subclinical malfunction of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system on PET studies and is, therefore, thought to represent a risk marker for Parkinson's disease. Epidemiological findings suggest an increased risk in subjects with depression.