Multi-parametric structural magnetic resonance imaging in relation to cognitive dysfunction in long-standing multiple...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Cognitive deficits are prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Previous research often focused on early MS stages and limited imaging techniques.
• A need exists to understand imaging correlates in long-standing MS.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify robust neuroimaging predictors of cognitive dysfunction.
• Investigate a large cohort of patients with long-standing multiple sclerosis.
• Utilize multimodal MRI for comprehensive brain assessment.

Main Methods:

• 202 MS patients and 52 controls underwent extensive neuropsychological testing and 3.0T multimodal MRI.
• Assessed brain volumes, cortical thickness, lesion load, and diffuse white matter damage.
• Employed stepwise linear regression to pinpoint significant predictors of cognitive impairment.

Main Results:

• MS patients exhibited widespread cognitive deficits and extensive brain pathology.
• Imaging markers showed stronger associations with cognition in impaired patients.
• Deep grey matter volume and fractional anisotropy severity were the strongest predictors of average cognition (adjusted R²=0.490).

Conclusions:

• Deep grey matter atrophy is a primary predictor of cognitive dysfunction in long-standing MS.
• Diffuse white matter damage significantly contributes to cognitive impairment in advanced MS.
• Multimodal MRI reveals key neuroimaging markers for cognitive decline in MS.