Functional cortical changes in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis at amplitude configuration: a resting-state...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Neurology

Background:

• Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is a complex neurological disorder.
• Understanding the neural underpinnings of RRMS is crucial for developing effective treatments.
• Spontaneous brain activity is a key indicator of brain function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in spontaneous brain activity using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method in RRMS patients.
• To identify specific brain regions showing abnormal ALFF in RRMS compared to healthy controls.
• To assess the diagnostic potential of these ALFF abnormalities.

Main Methods:

• Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation (ALFF) analysis was performed on 18 RRMS patients and 18 matched healthy controls (HCs).
• SPM8 software was used to analyze regional spontaneous brain activity.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was employed to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Pearson correlation was used to assess relationships with clinical scores.

Main Results:

• Patients with RRMS exhibited higher ALFF in the right fusiform gyrus (BA 37) and lower ALFF in bilateral anterior cingulate cortices (BA 24, 32), caudate nuclei, and brainstem compared to HCs.
• ROC analysis demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity of these altered brain regions for differentiating RRMS patients from HCs.
• A significant negative correlation was found between the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score and the beta value of the caudate head (r=-0.474, P=0.047).

Conclusions:

• Spontaneous brain activity is disturbed in specific brain regions in RRMS.
• These identified abnormalities in brain activity may serve as biomarkers for RRMS diagnosis.
• The findings offer insights into the neural mechanisms contributing to behavioral impairments in RRMS.