A longitudinal fMRI study on motor activity in patients with multiple sclerosis
Patrizia Pantano1, Caterina Mainero, Delia Lenzi
1Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. patrizia.pantano@uniroma1.it
Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|May 20, 2005
Summary
This longitudinal study reveals that brain functional activity in multiple sclerosis patients changes over time. Younger patients with less severe disease show a trend toward normalized brain activation patterns.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease.
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies show altered brain activation in MS patients.
- Longitudinal studies on brain plasticity in MS are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate longitudinal changes in brain functional activity during motor tasks in multiple sclerosis patients.
- To understand the adaptive brain mechanisms and their evolution in MS.
- To identify factors influencing these brain changes.
Main Methods:
- Two fMRI scans were performed on 16 MS patients and 9 controls over 15-26 months.
- A self-paced sequential finger opposition movement task with the right hand was used.
- Functional activation patterns were compared between baseline and follow-up.
Main Results:
- MS patients showed greater bilateral motor activation than controls in both scans.
- At follow-up, patients exhibited reduced functional activity in ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex and contralateral cerebellum.
- Activation changes correlated inversely with age, lesion load, and relapse occurrence.
Conclusions:
- Brain functional reorganization in MS is influenced by age, disease severity, and progression.
- Younger patients with less brain damage show a tendency towards normalized, more lateralized brain activation.
- Functional normalization is impaired in older patients or those with disease progression.
