Structural and functional MRI correlates of Stroop control in benign MS

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease affecting the central nervous system.
• Cognitive impairment is common in MS, impacting daily functioning.
• Understanding the neural basis of cognitive changes in benign MS (BMS) is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the functional and structural underpinnings of cognitive network alterations in BMS patients.
• To analyze effective connectivity and white matter integrity using advanced MRI techniques.

Main Methods:

• Acquired functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor (DT) MRI data during Stroop task performance in 15 BMS patients and 19 healthy controls.
• Utilized MR tractography to assess white matter (WM) fiber bundles.
• Performed effective connectivity analysis using statistical parametric mapping.

Main Results:

• BMS patients exhibited significantly abnormal DT MRI metrics across analyzed structures.
• MS patients showed altered activations in cognitive networks during the Stroop task.
• Connectivity strength alterations were observed between cortical areas, correlating with WM tissue damage.

Conclusions:

• Functional brain network changes in BMS patients are associated with structural damage in specific white matter tracts.
• These functional alterations may represent an adaptive compensatory mechanism in response to tissue damage.