Fuchun Lin1, Robert Zivadinov2, Jesper Hagemeier3, Bianca Weinstock-Guttman4, Caila Vaughn4, Sirin Gandhi3, Dejan Jakimovski3, Hanneke E Hulst5, Ralph Hb Benedict4, Niels Bergsland3, Tom Fuchs3, Michael G Dwyer3. 1. Department of Neurology, Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA/National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China. 2. Department of Neurology, Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA/MRI Clinical and Translational Research Center, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA. 3. Department of Neurology, Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA. 4. Department of Neurology, Jacobs Multiple Sclerosis Center, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA. 5. Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The thalamus, affected early in multiple sclerosis (MS), is a heterogeneous composition of functionally distinct nuclei and is associated with fatigue, cognition, and other outcomes. However, most previous functional imaging studies considered the thalamus only as a whole. OBJECTIVE: To investigate MS-related abnormalities in nuclei-specific thalamic functional connectivity (FC) and their associations with fatigue and cognitive outcomes. METHODS: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was analyzed in 64 MS patients and 26 healthy controls (HC). Whole-brain FC maps for four thalamic subregions seeds were computed for each subject. FC maps were compared between groups, and group by FC interaction effects were assessed for fatigue and cognitive measures. RESULTS: MS patients had decreased FC between the left medial thalamic nuclei and left angular gyrus and reduced FC between the left posterior thalamic nuclei and left supramarginal gyrus, as well as decreased right medial thalamic nuclei connectivity with bilateral caudate/thalamus and left cerebellar areas (p < 0.05 corrected). MS patients had increased FC between the left anterior thalamic nuclei and anterior cingulate cortex bilaterally. There were significant relationships between connectivity alterations and fatigue and cognitive measures between groups (p < 0.05 corrected). CONCLUSION: FC alteration is nuclei-specific and is differentially associated with fatigue and cognition.
BACKGROUND: The thalamus, affected early in multiple sclerosis (MS), is a heterogeneous composition of functionally distinct nuclei and is associated with fatigue, cognition, and other outcomes. However, most previous functional imaging studies considered the thalamus only as a whole. OBJECTIVE: To investigate MS-related abnormalities in nuclei-specific thalamic functional connectivity (FC) and their associations with fatigue and cognitive outcomes. METHODS: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was analyzed in 64 MS patients and 26 healthy controls (HC). Whole-brain FC maps for four thalamic subregions seeds were computed for each subject. FC maps were compared between groups, and group by FC interaction effects were assessed for fatigue and cognitive measures. RESULTS: MS patients had decreased FC between the left medial thalamic nuclei and left angular gyrus and reduced FC between the left posterior thalamic nuclei and left supramarginal gyrus, as well as decreased right medial thalamic nuclei connectivity with bilateral caudate/thalamus and left cerebellar areas (p < 0.05 corrected). MS patients had increased FC between the left anterior thalamic nuclei and anterior cingulate cortex bilaterally. There were significant relationships between connectivity alterations and fatigue and cognitive measures between groups (p < 0.05 corrected). CONCLUSION: FC alteration is nuclei-specific and is differentially associated with fatigue and cognition.
Authors: Dejan Jakimovski; Niels Bergsland; Michael G Dwyer; Jesper Hagemeier; Deepa P Ramasamy; Kinga Szigeti; Thomas Guttuso; David Lichter; David Hojnacki; Bianca Weinstock-Guttman; Ralph H B Benedict; Robert Zivadinov Journal: Neurobiol Aging Date: 2020-02-08 Impact factor: 4.673
Authors: Declan T Chard; Adnan A S Alahmadi; Bertrand Audoin; Thalis Charalambous; Christian Enzinger; Hanneke E Hulst; Maria A Rocca; Àlex Rovira; Jaume Sastre-Garriga; Menno M Schoonheim; Betty Tijms; Carmen Tur; Claudia A M Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott; Alle Meije Wink; Olga Ciccarelli; Frederik Barkhof Journal: Nat Rev Neurol Date: 2021-01-12 Impact factor: 42.937