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Updated: Feb 7, 2026
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Modulating Cognition Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Cerebellum
Published on: February 15, 2015
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Cerebellum and cognition in progressive MS patients: functional changes beyond atrophy?
Sirio Cocozza1,2, Giuseppe Pontillo2, Camilla Russo2
1Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Journal of Neurology
|July 30, 2018
Summary
Progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS) patients exhibit altered cerebellar functional connectivity (FC) in specific regions, suggesting brain rewiring independent of structural damage. These changes correlate with cognitive function, highlighting the cerebellum's role in PMS.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
Background:
- The cerebellum is frequently affected in progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS), contributing to cognitive impairments.
- Understanding cerebellar functional connectivity (FC) is crucial for explaining cognitive deficits in PMS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate lobular cerebellar FC in PMS patients.
- To examine the relationship between cerebellar FC and cognitive function in PMS.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state fMRI was used to analyze FC in 29 PMS patients and 22 healthy controls (HC).
- Seed-based analysis focused on cerebellar lobules VI, Crus I, Crus II, and VIIb, accounting for structural damage.
- Cognitive status was assessed using the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery.
Main Results:
- PMS patients showed reduced FC between Crus II/Lobule VIIb and the right frontal pole, and increased FC between Lobule VIIb and the right precentral gyrus.
- These FC alterations persisted even after controlling for cerebellar structural damage.
- Increased FC between Lobule VIIb and the right precentral gyrus inversely correlated with BVMT scores.
Conclusions:
- PMS patients display cerebellar FC rearrangements partially independent of structural damage.
- These findings suggest a maladaptive functional rewiring in the cerebellum of PMS patients.
- Cerebellar FC alterations may contribute to cognitive deficits observed in PMS.
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