Contributions
Abstract: P1787
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: N/A
Introduction: Robust evidence supports the importance of brain plasticity for functional recovery in multiple sclerosis (MS) through repair, functional reorganisation and vascular remodelling. However, the inter-relationships between these mechanisms remain unexplored in MS, thus limiting our understanding of plasticity processes in MS and our ability to promote them with interventions.
Aim: To investigate the inter-relationship of structural and functional MRI measures of brain plasticity that underlies functional recovery in MS.
Methods: Right-handed relapsing-remitting MS patients and matched healthy volunteers underwent a clinical assessment and a multi-modal MRI acquisition at baseline and after 4 weeks of home-training of a serial reaction time (SRT) task. At each session, we acquired functional MRI during SRT task, diffusion-weighted imaging, arterial spin labeling (ASL) and T1-weighted imaging. Functional reorganisation, grey matter (GM) volume, white matter (WM) microstructure and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were quantified at both time points.
Results: 29 MS patients (17 women, age: mean±SD, 39±11 years; disease duration: mean±SD, 7.6±4.3 years; EDSS: mean±iqr, 4.0±2.0) and 19 controls (12 women; age: mean±SD, 38±11 years) were assessed. At the baseline, when compared to controls, patients showed worse SRT performance, lower brain GM volume and WM microstructure, and larger functional activation in sensory-motor regions, the most significant of which was in the right primary somatosensory cortex (S1). In S1, patients showed significantly higher GM volume than controls, but no difference in CBF. After 4 weeks of practice, both groups significantly improved performance. In S1, patients showed significantly reduced activation and increased CBF, but no significant change in GM.
Discussion: Our results suggest that performance improvement with practice is accompanied by parallel functional and vascular changes in task relevant regions, in MS patients. This suggests that the early stages of functional recovery are promoted by brain plasticity and maybe accompanied by vascular remodelling. MRI-measurable structural changes may take longer to occur.
Disclosure: The study was funded in 2013 by the MS Society UK (grant number: 998)
Abstract: P1787
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: N/A
Introduction: Robust evidence supports the importance of brain plasticity for functional recovery in multiple sclerosis (MS) through repair, functional reorganisation and vascular remodelling. However, the inter-relationships between these mechanisms remain unexplored in MS, thus limiting our understanding of plasticity processes in MS and our ability to promote them with interventions.
Aim: To investigate the inter-relationship of structural and functional MRI measures of brain plasticity that underlies functional recovery in MS.
Methods: Right-handed relapsing-remitting MS patients and matched healthy volunteers underwent a clinical assessment and a multi-modal MRI acquisition at baseline and after 4 weeks of home-training of a serial reaction time (SRT) task. At each session, we acquired functional MRI during SRT task, diffusion-weighted imaging, arterial spin labeling (ASL) and T1-weighted imaging. Functional reorganisation, grey matter (GM) volume, white matter (WM) microstructure and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were quantified at both time points.
Results: 29 MS patients (17 women, age: mean±SD, 39±11 years; disease duration: mean±SD, 7.6±4.3 years; EDSS: mean±iqr, 4.0±2.0) and 19 controls (12 women; age: mean±SD, 38±11 years) were assessed. At the baseline, when compared to controls, patients showed worse SRT performance, lower brain GM volume and WM microstructure, and larger functional activation in sensory-motor regions, the most significant of which was in the right primary somatosensory cortex (S1). In S1, patients showed significantly higher GM volume than controls, but no difference in CBF. After 4 weeks of practice, both groups significantly improved performance. In S1, patients showed significantly reduced activation and increased CBF, but no significant change in GM.
Discussion: Our results suggest that performance improvement with practice is accompanied by parallel functional and vascular changes in task relevant regions, in MS patients. This suggests that the early stages of functional recovery are promoted by brain plasticity and maybe accompanied by vascular remodelling. MRI-measurable structural changes may take longer to occur.
Disclosure: The study was funded in 2013 by the MS Society UK (grant number: 998)