Neural correlates of fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a combined neurophysiological and neuroimaging approach (R1).

Neural correlates of fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a combined neurophysiological and neuroimaging approach (R1). Arch Ital Biol. 2017 Sep 30;155(3):142-151 Authors: Russo M, Calamuneri A, Cacciola A, Bonanno L, Naro A, Dattola V, Sessa E, Buccafusca M, Milardi D, Bramanti P, Calabrò RS, Quartarone A Abstract The present study is aimed at further exploring structural and functional correlates of fatigue in Relapsing- Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) patients by using a combined approach by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and a Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). The physiopathology of fatigue in MS is still poorly understood, although a variety of pathogenic mechanisms has been proposed. Our working hypothesis is that diffuse microstructural white matter damage may subtend the cortico-subcortical functional disconnection described in patients with MS and fatigue. We enrolled 30 RRMS patients (mean age 39±13; age range 24-63 years) with mild neurological impairment Expanded Disability Status Scale <3.5, divided into two groups on the basis of their fatigue severity scale (FSS) scoring (cutoff ≥ 4). All the patients underwent a neurological evaluation, a brain MRI acquisition (including DTI study) and a neurophysiological assessment by means of TMS in a pre-movement facilitation paradigm. Our data showed a significant mean diffusivity (MD) increase (p=0.036) in left thalamo-frontal reconstructions in the MS patie...
Source: Archives Italiennes de Biologie - Category: Neuroscience Tags: Arch Ital Biol Source Type: research