Long-term course and morphological MRI correlates of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may identify MS patients at risk for cognitive decline.
• Understanding the long-term trajectory of cognitive function in MS is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the long-term course of cognitive function in MS patients.
• To identify morphological MRI correlates of cognitive changes over time.
• To assess the predictive value of baseline MRI markers for future cognitive decline.

Main Methods:

• 116 MS patients underwent baseline (BL) clinical, cognitive, and MRI assessments (2006-2012).
• Follow-up (FU) assessments occurred between 2016-2018, including disability (EDSS), cognition (BRB-N), T2-lesion load (T2-LL), brain volumes, and cortical thickness.
• 63 patients completed FU, with no significant differences from non-participants.

Main Results:

• No significant changes in disability or cognition were observed across the group over 10 years.
• Baseline thalamic volume, age, and baseline cognition predicted 67% of FU cognitive function variance.
• Cognitive decliners (23.8%) were older, had longer disease duration, and tended to have lower BL thalamic volume.

Conclusions:

• Baseline thalamic volume is a significant predictor of long-term cognitive function in MS patients.
• Thalamic volume can differentiate between MS patients with stable versus declining cognition.
• MRI markers, particularly thalamic volume, hold potential for identifying MS patients at risk for cognitive decline.