Manca, R. orcid.org/0000-0003-1715-6442, Stabile, M.R., Bevilacqua, F. et al. (4 more authors) (2019) Cognitive speed and white matter integrity in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Elsevier Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 30. pp. 198-207. ISSN 2211-0348
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Processing speed (PS) deficits have been consistently observed in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). However, the underlying neural correlates have not been clarified yet. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between macrostructural and microstructural white matter (WM) integrity and performance on different cognitive measures with prominent PS load. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with SPMS were recruited and underwent neurological, neuropsychological, and MRI assessments. The associations between a composite index of PS abilities and scores on various tests with prominent PS load and T1-weighted and diffusion tensor image parameters were tested. Analyses were carried out using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). RESULTS: VBM results showed that only the semantic fluency task correlated with grey matter (GM) volume in a range of cortical and subcortical areas bilaterally as well as the corpus callosum and the superior longitudinal fasciculus. TBSS analysis revealed consistent results across all the cognitive measures investigated, showing a prominent role of commissural and frontal associative WM tracts in supporting PS-demanding cognitive operations. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with SPMS, PS abilities are mainly dependent on the degree of both macrostructural and microstructural WM integrity. Preservation of associative WM tracts that support information integration seems crucial to sustain performance in tasks requiring fast cognitive processes.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Elsevier. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Cognition; Diffusion tensor imaging; MRI; Processing speed; Voxel based morphometry |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Sheffield Teaching Hospitals |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 07 Mar 2019 10:33 |
Last Modified: | 17 Feb 2020 01:40 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2019.02.021 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.msard.2019.02.021 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:143322 |