Cerebral autoregulation is preserved in multiple sclerosis patients

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Vascular Biology
• Autonomic Neuroscience

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory neurological disease potentially involving vascular dysfunction.
• Cerebral autoregulation (CA) is crucial for maintaining stable cerebral blood flow.
• Autonomic dysfunction (AD) is frequently observed in MS patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the integrity of CA in relapsing-remitting MS patients.
• To explore the relationship between CA, AD, MRI lesion load, and hemodynamic parameters in MS.
• To assess if CA is compromised in MS and its correlation with disease markers.

Main Methods:

• Transfer function analysis (TFA) was used to assess CA parameters (coherence, gain, phase) in very low, low, and high-frequency domains.
• Autonomic function was evaluated using heart rate variability and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (BRS).
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to quantify lesion load, particularly in the brainstem.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in CA parameters were found between MS patients and healthy controls.
• MS lesion load did not correlate with any CA parameter.
• Low-frequency (LF) gain positively correlated with BRS in both groups. Brainstem lesion load was associated with higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) in MS patients.

Conclusions:

• Cerebral autoregulation (CA) is preserved in the studied cohort of MS patients.
• Autonomic dysfunction (AD) in MS patients with brainstem lesions may contribute to elevated supine systolic blood pressure (SBP).
• Further research is needed to determine if this systemic deregulation impacts overall disease burden in MS.