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Energy Associated With Dynamic Network Changes in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis and Cognitive Impairment

T. Broeders, M. van Dam, G. Pontillo, V. Rauh, L. Douw, Y. van der Werf, J. Killestein, F. Barkhof et al.

Neurology, 2024

330 participants · 13 citations

Abstract

Background and Objectives Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience cognitive impairment, and this is related to structural disconnection and subsequent functional reorganization. It is unclear how specific patterns of functional reorganization might make it harder for cognitively impaired (CI) patients with MS to dynamically adapt how brain regions communicate, which is crucial for normal cognition. We aimed to identify dynamic functional network patterns that are relevant to cognitive impairment in MS and investigate whether these patterns can be explained by altered energy costs. Methods Resting-state functional and diffusion MRI was acquired in a cross-sectional design, as part of the Amsterdam MS cohort. Patients with clinically definitive MS (relapse-free) were classified as CI (≥2/7 domains Z < −2), mildly CI (MCI) (≥2/7 domains Z < −1.5), or cognitively preserved (CP) based on an expanded Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests. Functional connectivity states were determined using k-means clustering of moment-to-moment cofluctuations (i.e., edge time series), and the resulting state sequence was used to characterize the frequency of transitions. Control energy of the state transitions was calculated using the structural network with network control theory. Results Imaging and cognitive data were available for 95 controls and 330 patients (disease duration: 15 years; 179 CP, 65 MCI, and 86 CI). We identified a “visual network state,”…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 330 participants or records.

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