Cognition in MS correlates with resting-state oscillatory brain activity: An explorative MEG source-space study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biophysics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Clinical and cognitive deficits in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are not fully explained by structural brain damage seen in traditional MRI.
• There is a need for reliable functional measures to assess MS-related dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between altered resting-state oscillatory power and clinical/cognitive dysfunction in MS.
• To identify specific patterns of abnormal brain activity in MS patients using MEG.

Main Methods:

• Magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings from 21 MS patients and 17 controls.
• Atlas-based beamforming to estimate relative spectral power in 78 cortical regions across classical frequency bands.
• Group comparisons and correlations with clinical (EDSS), cognitive, and MRI measures.

Main Results:

• MS patients exhibited increased alpha1 and decreased alpha2 band power compared to controls, primarily in occipital, parietal, and temporal areas.
• Lower alpha peak frequency was observed in MS patients.
• Increased alpha1 power correlated with poorer overall cognition and reduced information processing speed.

Conclusions:

• MS patients display abnormal resting-state oscillatory brain dynamics in the alpha band.
• Source-space analysis reveals topographical abnormalities, particularly in occipital regions.
• Resting-state alpha1 power may serve as an objective biomarker for cognitive impairment and disease burden in MS.