Impaired temporal processing in multiple sclerosis.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Biomarkers

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic central nervous system autoimmune disease impacting neural transmission.
• Neurodegeneration in basal ganglia (BG) is observed in MS, affecting functional connectivity and contributing to fatigue.
• The basal ganglia's role in temporal processing suggests potential timing impairments in people with MS (pwMS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate perceptual and motor timing abilities in pwMS.
• To explore the correlation between timing deficits, disease progression (Expanded Disability Status Scale - prEDSS), and fatigue (Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory - MFI).

Main Methods:

• Twenty-two pwMS performed auditory sensorimotor and timing tasks using the Battery for the Assessment of Auditory Sensorimotor and Timing Abilities (BAASTA).
• Tasks included unpaced finger-tapping and rhythmic auditory cue synchronization, as well as perceptual timing evaluations.
• Data were compared to normative values and correlated with prEDSS and MFI scores.

Main Results:

• PwMS demonstrated increased motor variability in unpaced tapping compared to controls.
• Reduced synchronization consistency to auditory cues and impaired perceptual timing (beat alignment, deviation detection) were observed in pwMS.
• Perceptual timing deficits correlated significantly with higher prEDSS scores and increased self-reported fatigue.

Conclusions:

• PwMS exhibit significant impairments in both motor and perceptual timing.
• Timing abilities may serve as potential behavioral biomarkers for assessing MS disease progression and fatigue levels.
• These findings highlight the impact of MS on temporal processing and suggest novel avenues for clinical assessment.