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Functional network connectivity abnormalities in multiple sclerosis: Correlations with disability and cognitive
Maria A Rocca1, Paola Valsasina2, Victoria M Leavitt3
1Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy/Department of Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
Resting state functional connectivity (FC) is altered in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, with reduced FC in some networks and increased FC in others, impacting clinical symptoms. These changes correlate with MRI findings and disease severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Brain Network Analysis
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease affecting the central nervous system.
- Understanding alterations in brain functional connectivity is crucial for diagnosing and managing MS.
- Resting-state functional connectivity (FC) provides insights into intrinsic brain network function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate resting state (RS) functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities in major brain networks in a large cohort of MS patients.
- To determine how FC changes evolve across different disease stages.
- To correlate FC alterations with clinical and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures.
Main Methods:
- Acquired RS functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), clinical, and neuropsychological data from 215 MS patients and 98 healthy controls.
- Analyzed seed-voxel FC with seven major brain network hubs (visual/sensory, motor, cognitive, cerebellar, subcortical).
- Evaluated connectivity abnormalities and their correlations with clinical, neuropsychological, and imaging data.
Main Results:
- MS patients exhibited reduced average RS FC in the default-mode network compared to controls.
- A complex pattern of decreased and increased RS FC was observed regionally.
- Reduced FC primarily affected sensorimotor, cognitive, thalamic, and cerebellar networks, while increased FC was noted in visual/sensory and subcortical networks.
- Reduced RS FC correlated with T2 lesions; reduced thalamic FC correlated with better cognitive performance, while reduced FC in other networks correlated with greater clinical/cognitive impairment.
Conclusions:
- Both increased and decreased RS FC are present in MS and contribute to diverse clinical manifestations.
- RS FC reduction is associated with T2 lesions, with an inverse relationship observed for the thalamic network.
- FC alterations provide valuable biomarkers for understanding MS pathophysiology and clinical impact.
