Juxtacortical is a general term and merely denotes 'next to cortex' and can be used in a variety of context depending on the structure (e.g. bone, brain, kidney etc.).
Juxtacortical brain lesions
The term juxtacortical is most commonly encountered in the brain in the context of multiple sclerosis and is often poorly understood and misused. It is particularly important in the context of McDonald criteria, although oddly enough the term is not defined in either the original 2001 paper or the 2010 revision 1,2. Perhaps partly due to this, it is a term often misunderstood and thought to mean merely "sort of near the cortex". This is not the case, but rather it refers to lesions which abut the cortex 3,4, and thus involve the subcortical U-fibers. Another term which is perhaps more easily understood is leukocortical (i.e. involving both cortex and juxtacortical white matter).
1. McDonald WI, Compston A, Edan G et-al. Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: guidelines from the International Panel on the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Ann. Neurol. 2001;50 (1): 121-7. Pubmed citation
2. McDonald WI, Compston A, Edan G et-al. Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: guidelines from the International Panel on the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Ann. Neurol. 2001;50 (1): 121-7. Pubmed citation
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