Clinical and pathological insights into the dynamic nature of the white matter multiple sclerosis plaque

An extensive analysis of white matter plaques in a large sample of multiple sclerosis (MS) autopsies provides insights into the dynamic nature of MS pathology.

One hundred twenty MS cases (1,220 tissue blocks) were included. Plaque types were classified according to demyelinating activity based on stringent criteria. Early active, late active, smoldering, inactive, and shadow plaques were distinguished. A total of 2,476 MS white matter plaques were identified. Plaque type distribution was analyzed in relation to clinical data.