The Role of fMRI in the Assessment of Neuroplasticity in MS: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Neuroplasticity, which is the ability of the brain to adapt to internal and external environmental changes, physiologically occurs during growth and in response to damage. The brain's response to damage is of particular interest in multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease characterized by inflammatory and neurodegenerative damage to the central nervous system. Functional MRI (fMRI) is a tool that allows functional changes related to the disease and to its evolution to be studied in vivo. Several studies have shown that abnormal brain recruitment during the execution of a task starts in the early phases of multiple sclerosis. The increased functional activation during a specific task observed has been interpreted mainly as a mechanism of adaptive plasticity designed to contrast the increase in tissue damage. More recent fMRI studies, which have focused on the activity of brain regions at rest, have yielded nonunivocal results, suggesting that changes in functional brain connections represent mechanisms of either adaptive or maladaptive plasticity. The few longitudinal studies available to date on disease evolution have also yielded discrepant results that are likely to depend on the clinical features considered and the length of the follow-up. Lastly, fMRI has been used in interventional studies to investigate plastic changes induced by pharmacological therapy or rehabilitation, though whether such changes represent a surrogate of neuroplasticity remains unclear. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the existing literature in order to provide an overall description of both the neuroplastic process itself and the evolution in the use of fMRI techniques as a means of assessing neuroplasticity. The quantitative and qualitative approach adopted here ensures an objective analysis of published, peer-reviewed research and yields an overview of up-to-date knowledge.

α-Cyperone Confers Antidepressant-Like Effects in Mice via Neuroplasticity Enhancement by SIRT3/ROS Mediated NLRP3 Inflammasome Deactivation

“…Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to adapt to new conditions, including synapse turnover, dendritic remodeling, neurogenesis, and long-term potentiation (LTP) ( Laura et al, 2018 ). Compelling evidence indicates that synaptic plasticity is implicated in the development of depression.…”

Decreasing Shortest Path Length of the Sensorimotor Network Induces Frontal Glioma-Related Epilepsy

“…Glioma-induced reorganization resulted in the shortest path length of sensorimotor networks being shortened ( 32 , 33 ). A shorter network path contributed to a reduction in the convulsive threshold underlying epileptic seizures ( 34 , 35 ).…”

Neuroplasticity and Motor Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review on MRI Markers of Functional and Structural Changes

“…Maladaptive plasticity has been the subject of several studies in motor-related stroke patients (Jang, 2013), where it results in abnormal movement patterns or increased activation of the contralesional motor pathway, thus preventing the recovery of the damaged area. In MS, the distinction between adaptive and maladaptive mechanisms is fraught with challenges in the absence of associated clinical measures, as the underlying tissue damage renders it difficult to interpret changes unequivocally (Laura et al, 2018). Widespread functional brain activation in response to motor or cognitive tasks is generally increased in MS patients with respect to healthy subjects, leading to define it as a compensatory mechanism to preserve a satisfactory clinical status (Tavazzi et al, 2018;Rocca et al, 2019).…”