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Published on: June 30, 2014
Gray Matter Correlates of Cognitive Performance Differ between Relapsing-Remitting and Primary-Progressive Multiple
Laura E Jonkman1, Diana M Rosenthal2, Maria Pia Sormani3
1Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America; Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Cognitive impairment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) differs between relapsing-remitting (RR-MS) and primary progressive (PP-MS) patients. While PP-MS patients showed lower cognitive scores and caudate volume, both disease courses showed distinct associations between gray matter injury and cognitive deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic CNS disease with relapsing-remitting (RR-MS) and primary progressive (PP-MS) courses.
- Cognitive impairment affects 40-70% of MS patients, with potential differences between disease subtypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare cognitive performance between RR-MS and PP-MS patients.
- To investigate MRI correlates of cognitive impairment, including brain volumes and cortical thickness, in both MS subtypes.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-seven MS patients (42 RR-MS, 15 PP-MS) and 38 controls underwent neuropsychological testing and MRI.
- Analysis focused on cognitive scores, brain volumes (caudate), and cortical thickness.
Main Results:
- PP-MS patients exhibited lower scores on most neuropsychological tests compared to RR-MS patients.
- PP-MS patients showed significantly reduced caudate volume.
- Cortical gray matter (GM) injury correlated with cognitive impairment in RR-MS, while subcortical GM injury correlated in PP-MS.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive impairment in MS is influenced by disease course.
- Cortical and subcortical gray matter injury play differential roles in cognitive deficits in RR-MS and PP-MS, respectively.
