Assessing brain connectivity at rest is clinically relevant in early multiple sclerosis

Abstract

This study demonstrates that resting state networks reorganization is strongly associated with disability in early multiple sclerosis. These findings suggest that resting state functional MRI may represent a promising surrogate marker of disease burden.

Functional MRI in investigating cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis

“…It is worth mentioning that findings from other studies [32][33][34] seem to contradict the adaptive/compensation hypothesis because a correlation between increased RS FC and worse cognitive performance was found. A recent study 35 (Fig.…”

The link between resting-state functional connectivity and cognition in MS patients

“…For example, the LFPN and RFPN are RSNs that are highly consistent among participants and that only recently have started to receive proper attention in the context of MS research. 14,17 The LFPN and RFPN engage areas distant from the frontal and parietal lobes, which may be especially prone to MS pathophysiology. In fact, many recent fMRI studies have explored the engagement of frontoparietal networks associated with performance in attention and working memory tasks under the assumption that disconnection among distal frontoparietal areas may underlie primary cognitive deficits in MS. 3,6,8 Therefore, the LFPN and RFPN may be especially relevant to understanding cognitive impairment in MS patients, which seems to be supported by our results demonstrating clear differences among groups in those networks.…”

“…However, other results seem to contradict this proposal. Faivre et al 17 evidenced increased rs-FC in MS patients compared with healthy controls (HCs) but found a negative correlation between rs-FC and execution of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test assessing cognitive function. Moreover, Hawellek et al 1 described increased rs-FC as directly related to cognitive impairment, contradicting the hypothesis of adaptive or compensatory effects.…”

Sex Differences in Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Multiple Sclerosis

“…21 Pa-tients with MS show differences in both the pattern and magnitude of fcMRI values, and there is some indication that these changes are related to the level of disease burden and cognitive deficits. 20,[22][23][24][25][26] In particular, connectivity between the posterior cingulate and other structures in the default mode network has shown a relationship with cognition. 23,27 It is unclear whether fcMRI values are affected by sex.…”