Contributions
Abstract: P486
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - MRI and PET
Background: Several studies have characterized thalamic structural damage in patients at the early stages of MS, while no study has explored thalamic resting state (RS) functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities. We investigated subregional thalamic RS FC abnormalities in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of MS and their correlation with disability.
Methods: Structural and RS fMRI data were acquired from 59 CIS patients and 13 healthy controls (HC) at baseline (< 3 months from first attack) and after 2 years. Five thalamic sub-regions (SR) (frontal, motor, postcentral, occipital, temporal) were parcellated according to their cortico-thalamic structural connectivity and used for seed-based RS FC analyses. Baseline thalamic RS FC abnormalities and their changes over time were assessed and correlated with EDSS and its changes.
Results: Forty-nine (83%) patients developed MS at year 2. At baseline, compared to HC, CIS patients showed reduced thalamic RS FC with frontal cortices for the frontal and occipital SR, the temporal cortices for the temporal SR, and the cerebellum for the whole thalamus and all SR. At year 2, compared to baseline, CIS patients had increased subregional thalamic RS FC with frontal, temporal and cerebellar cortices for all SR, whereas no changes were detected in HC. Despite such connectivity increasing in patients, at year 2, CIS patients vs HC, still showed reduced thalamic RS FC with frontal cortices for the occipital SR, the temporal cortices for temporal SR, and the cerebellum for the motor SR. Increased temporal thalamic RS FC was observed with the cerebellum.
In CIS, significant correlations were found between: 1) higher EDSS at baseline and reduced baseline thalamic RS FC with temporal cortices for the frontal and temporal SR, and with the cerebellum for the temporal SR; 2) EDSS worsening at follow-up with concurrent increasing of thalamic RS FC with frontal and temporal cortices for the frontal and temporal SR; and 3) EDSS worsening at follow-up with reduced baseline thalamic RS FC with temporal cortices for the frontal and temporal SR.
Conclusions: Dynamic alterations of subregional thalamic RS FC with frontal, temporal and cerebellar regions occur in CIS patients and correlate with disability and its worsening, evidencing the contribution of thalamic dysfunction from the first stages of MS in explaining disability.
Funding: Partially supported by the Ministry of Science, Republic of Serbia (# 175031).
Disclosure: M Hidalgo de La Cruz, A. Meani, J Dackovic, I Dujmovic-Basuroski, and J Drulovic have nothing to disclose.
S Mesaros has received travel funding from Merck, Bayer Schering, Medis, and Genzyme Sanofi; has received honoraria for speaking from Merck Serono and Novartis; and has also received research grant support from the Ministry of Education and Science, Republic of Serbia (project 175031).
M Filippi is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neurology; received compensation for consulting services and/or speaking activities from Biogen Idec, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries; and receives research support from Biogen Idec, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Roche, Italian Ministry of Health, Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla, and ARiSLA (Fondazione Italiana di Ricerca per la SLA).
MA Rocca received speakers honoraria from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Genzyme, Sanofi-Aventis, Teva, Merck Serono, and Roche and receives research support from the Italian Ministry of Health and Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla.
Abstract: P486
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - MRI and PET
Background: Several studies have characterized thalamic structural damage in patients at the early stages of MS, while no study has explored thalamic resting state (RS) functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities. We investigated subregional thalamic RS FC abnormalities in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of MS and their correlation with disability.
Methods: Structural and RS fMRI data were acquired from 59 CIS patients and 13 healthy controls (HC) at baseline (< 3 months from first attack) and after 2 years. Five thalamic sub-regions (SR) (frontal, motor, postcentral, occipital, temporal) were parcellated according to their cortico-thalamic structural connectivity and used for seed-based RS FC analyses. Baseline thalamic RS FC abnormalities and their changes over time were assessed and correlated with EDSS and its changes.
Results: Forty-nine (83%) patients developed MS at year 2. At baseline, compared to HC, CIS patients showed reduced thalamic RS FC with frontal cortices for the frontal and occipital SR, the temporal cortices for the temporal SR, and the cerebellum for the whole thalamus and all SR. At year 2, compared to baseline, CIS patients had increased subregional thalamic RS FC with frontal, temporal and cerebellar cortices for all SR, whereas no changes were detected in HC. Despite such connectivity increasing in patients, at year 2, CIS patients vs HC, still showed reduced thalamic RS FC with frontal cortices for the occipital SR, the temporal cortices for temporal SR, and the cerebellum for the motor SR. Increased temporal thalamic RS FC was observed with the cerebellum.
In CIS, significant correlations were found between: 1) higher EDSS at baseline and reduced baseline thalamic RS FC with temporal cortices for the frontal and temporal SR, and with the cerebellum for the temporal SR; 2) EDSS worsening at follow-up with concurrent increasing of thalamic RS FC with frontal and temporal cortices for the frontal and temporal SR; and 3) EDSS worsening at follow-up with reduced baseline thalamic RS FC with temporal cortices for the frontal and temporal SR.
Conclusions: Dynamic alterations of subregional thalamic RS FC with frontal, temporal and cerebellar regions occur in CIS patients and correlate with disability and its worsening, evidencing the contribution of thalamic dysfunction from the first stages of MS in explaining disability.
Funding: Partially supported by the Ministry of Science, Republic of Serbia (# 175031).
Disclosure: M Hidalgo de La Cruz, A. Meani, J Dackovic, I Dujmovic-Basuroski, and J Drulovic have nothing to disclose.
S Mesaros has received travel funding from Merck, Bayer Schering, Medis, and Genzyme Sanofi; has received honoraria for speaking from Merck Serono and Novartis; and has also received research grant support from the Ministry of Education and Science, Republic of Serbia (project 175031).
M Filippi is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neurology; received compensation for consulting services and/or speaking activities from Biogen Idec, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries; and receives research support from Biogen Idec, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Roche, Italian Ministry of Health, Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla, and ARiSLA (Fondazione Italiana di Ricerca per la SLA).
MA Rocca received speakers honoraria from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Genzyme, Sanofi-Aventis, Teva, Merck Serono, and Roche and receives research support from the Italian Ministry of Health and Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla.