SOLUBLE ADHESION MOLECULES (SVCAM-1 AND SICAM-1) IN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID AND SERUM CORRELATE WITH MRI ACTIVITY IN MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS

We performed a prospective study to correlate quantitative brain magne tic resonance imaging activity (gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacet ic acid enhancement) to cerebrospinal fluid and serum levels of solubl e adhesion molecules in 46 patients with newly diagnosed multiple scle rosis (MS) and 30 control subjects with other diseases of the central nervous system. In all patients, magnetic resonance imaging of the bra in and lumbar puncture were performed on the same day. In 32 (70%) of 46 MS patients, 8 (80%) of 10 patients with acute viral encephalitis, but none of the control subjects with noninflammatory diseases, gadoli nium-enhancing lesions were detected. There was a significant correlat ion between the cerebrospinal fluid/serum ratios for soluble intercell ular adhesion molecule-1 and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 as well as serum levels for both molecules and the area of gadolinium -enhancing lesions. No obvious correlation was observed between magnet ic resonance imaging findings and cerebrospinal fluid cell count, prot ein concentration, or intrathecal immunoglobulin production. In patien ts with a single periventricular gadolinium-enhancing lesion (n = 16), we observed a strong negative correlation between the distance from t he lateral ventricles and the cerebrospinal fluid/serum ratios for sol uble intercellular adhesion molecule-1/albumin and soluble vascular ce ll adhesion molecule-1/albumin. These results suggest that intrathecal production of the two soluble adhesion molecules, as well as serum le vels for soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, in patients with M S reflect magnetic resonance imaging activity of typical periventricul ar lesions.