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Comprehensive Autopsy Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis
Published on: July 19, 2019
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Cognitive speed and white matter integrity in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis
Riccardo Manca1, Maria R Stabile2, Francesca Bevilacqua2
1Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders
|February 26, 2019
Summary
Processing speed deficits in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) are linked to white matter (WM) integrity. Preserving WM tracts is crucial for maintaining cognitive processing speed in SPMS patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Processing speed (PS) deficits are common in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS).
- Neural correlates of PS deficits in SPMS remain unclear.
- This study investigates the link between white matter (WM) integrity and cognitive performance in SPMS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the relationship between macrostructural and microstructural WM integrity and cognitive measures with high PS load in SPMS patients.
- To identify specific WM tracts crucial for supporting PS-demanding cognitive operations.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-one SPMS patients underwent neurological, neuropsychological, and MRI assessments.
- Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were used.
- Associations between PS abilities, cognitive test scores, and MRI parameters were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Grey matter (GM) volume in specific cortical, subcortical, corpus callosum, and superior longitudinal fasciculus areas correlated with semantic fluency.
- TBSS revealed that commissural and frontal associative WM tracts are vital for PS-demanding cognitive operations across all tested measures.
- WM integrity, both macrostructural and microstructural, is significantly associated with PS abilities.
Conclusions:
- PS abilities in SPMS patients are significantly influenced by macrostructural and microstructural WM integrity.
- Maintaining the integrity of associative WM tracts is essential for information integration and cognitive processing speed in SPMS.
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