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Identification of Disease-related Spatial Covariance Patterns using Neuroimaging Data
Published on: June 26, 2013
Mapping face encoding using functional MRI in multiple sclerosis across disease phenotypes
Maria A Rocca1,2, Laura Vacchi1, Mariaemma Rodegher2
1Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Abstract:
Using fMRI during a face encoding (FE) task, we investigated the behavioral and fMRI correlates of FE in patients with relapse-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) at different stages of the disease and their relation with attentive-executive performance and structural MRI measures of disease-related damage. A fMRI FE task was administered to 75 MS patients (11 clinically isolated syndromes - CIS, 40 relapsing-remitting - RRMS - and 24 secondary progressive - SPMS) and 22 healthy controls (HC). fMRI activity during the face encoding condition was correlated with behavioral, clinical, neuropsychological and structural MRI variables. All study subjects activated brain regions belonging to face perception and encoding network, and deactivated areas of the default-mode network. Compared to HC, MS patients had the concomitant presence of areas of increased and decreased activations as well as increased and decreased deactivations. Compared to HC or RRMS, CIS patients experienced an increased recruitment of posterior-visual areas. Thalami, para-hippocampal gyri and right anterior cingulum were more activated in RRMS vs CIS or SPMS patients, while an increased recruitment of frontal areas was observed in SPMS vs RRMS. Areas of abnormal activations were significantly correlated with clinical, cognitive-behavioral and structural MRI measures. Abnormalities of FE network occur in MS and vary across disease clinical phenotypes. Early in the disease, an increased recruitment of areas typically devoted to face perception and encoding occurs. In SPMS patients, abnormal functional recruitment of frontal lobe areas might contribute to the severity of clinical manifestations.
Insights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients show altered brain activity during face encoding (FE). Early MS stages involve increased visual area recruitment, while later stages show frontal lobe involvement, correlating with disease severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease affecting the central nervous system.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of cognitive deficits in MS is crucial for patient management.
- Face encoding (FE) performance and its neural correlates may be altered in MS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) correlates of face encoding (FE) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
- To examine how FE-related brain activity varies across different MS clinical phenotypes (clinically isolated syndromes - CIS, relapsing-remitting MS - RRMS, and secondary progressive MS - SPMS).
- To correlate fMRI findings with clinical, cognitive-executive performance, and structural MRI measures of disease-related damage.
Main Methods:
- fMRI during a face encoding (FE) task was administered to 75 MS patients (CIS, RRMS, SPMS) and 22 healthy controls (HC).
- Analysis correlated fMRI activity during FE with behavioral, clinical, neuropsychological, and structural MRI data.
- Brain activation and deactivation patterns were compared across patient groups and HC.
Main Results:
- All participants activated face perception/encoding networks and deactivated default-mode network areas.
- MS patients exhibited abnormal patterns of increased/decreased activation and deactivation compared to HC.
- CIS patients showed increased recruitment of posterior-visual areas; RRMS patients showed greater activation in thalami, para-hippocampal gyri, and anterior cingulum compared to CIS/SPMS; SPMS patients demonstrated increased frontal lobe recruitment.
- Abnormal activation patterns correlated significantly with clinical, cognitive, and structural MRI measures.
Conclusions:
- Face encoding network abnormalities are present in MS and differ across clinical phenotypes.
- Early MS stages (CIS) are characterized by compensatory hyperactivation in visual processing areas.
- Later MS stages (SPMS) show aberrant functional recruitment in frontal regions, potentially contributing to clinical symptom severity.
