Changes in brain perfusion with training-related visuomotor improvement in MS

Patitucci, Eleonora, Lipp, IIona, Stickland, Rachael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3398-4272, Wise, Richard.G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1700-2144 and Tomassini, Valentina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7368-6280 2023. Changes in brain perfusion with training-related visuomotor improvement in MS. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience 16 , 1270393. 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1270393

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Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. A better understanding of the mechanisms supporting brain plasticity in MS would help to develop targeted interventions to promote recovery. A total of 29 MS patients and 19 healthy volunteers underwent clinical assessment and multi-modal MRI acquisition [fMRI during serial reaction time task (SRT), DWI, T1w structural scans and ASL of resting perfusion] at baseline and after 4-weeks of SRT training. Reduction of functional hyperactivation was observed in MS patients following the training, shown by the stronger reduction of the BOLD response during task execution compared to healthy volunteers. The functional reorganization was accompanied by a positive correlation between improvements in task accuracy and the change in resting perfusion after 4 weeks’ training in right angular and supramarginal gyri in MS patients. No longitudinal changes in WM and GM measures and no correlation between task performance improvements and brain structure were observed in MS patients. Our results highlight a potential role for CBF as an early marker of plasticity, in terms of functional (cortical reorganization) and behavioral (performance improvement) changes in MS patients that may help to guide future interventions that exploit preserved plasticity mechanisms.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology Medicine Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)
Publisher:	Frontiers Media
ISSN:	1662-5099
Funders:	Wellcome Trust
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 November 2023
Date of Acceptance:	26 October 2023
Last Modified:	03 Jan 2024 15:01
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/163924

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