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Brain activation patterns associated with working memory in relapsing-remitting MS
H A Wishart1, A J Saykin, B C McDonald
1Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756-0001, USA.
Background:
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) show changes in brain activation patterns during visual and motor tasks that include decreases in the typical local network for a function and increases in other brain regions.
Objective:
To determine whether brain activation patterns associated with working memory are affected by MS.
Methods:
Activation of working memory circuitry was examined using an fMRI n-back task in adults with mild relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS; n = 10) and demographically matched healthy controls (n = 10).
Results:
Group differences in brain activation emerged during both low- and high-demand conditions (p < 0.001). Overall, patients showed less activation than controls in core prefrontal and parietal regions of working memory circuitry, and greater activation in other regions within and beyond typical working memory circuitry, including bilateral medial frontal, cingulate, parietal, bilateral middle temporal, and occipital regions.
Conclusions:
Relative to controls, patients with mild RRMS showed shifts in brain activation patterns within and beyond typical components of working memory circuitry.
Insights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) alters brain activity during working memory tasks. Patients with mild relapsing-remitting MS showed different activation patterns compared to healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by altered brain activation patterns during various tasks.
- These alterations involve decreased activation in typical functional networks and increased activation in other brain regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if working memory brain activation patterns are affected in individuals with MS.
- To compare working memory task performance and associated brain activity between MS patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to examine working memory circuitry activation.
- An n-back task was administered to adults with mild relapsing-remitting MS (n=10) and healthy controls (n=10).
Main Results:
- Significant group differences in brain activation were observed under both low- and high-demand working memory conditions (p < 0.001).
- MS patients exhibited reduced activation in core prefrontal and parietal working memory regions compared to controls.
- Conversely, patients showed increased activation in regions both within and outside the typical working memory network, including medial frontal, cingulate, parietal, middle temporal, and occipital areas.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with mild relapsing-remitting MS display modified brain activation patterns during working memory tasks.
- These shifts in activation occur within and extend beyond the established neural circuitry of working memory.
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