Petsas Nikolaos, Tomassini Valentina, Filippini Nicola, Sbardella Emilia, Tona Francesca, Piattella Maria Cristina, Pozzilli Carlo, Wise Richard G, Pantano Patrizia
Sapienza University, Rome, Italy IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2015 Jul;29(6):557-65. doi: 10.1177/1545968314558600. Epub 2014 Nov 21.
Resting brain activity can be modulated by motor tasks to adapt to function. In multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, altered resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) has been reported and associated with impaired function and disability; little is known on how RS-FC is modulated by a simple repetitive motor task.
To assess changes in RS-FC in early relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients associated with repetitive thumb flexions (RTFs).
A total of 20 right-handed patients with early RRMS and 14 healthy controls underwent a resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan, before and after 25 minutes of alternate 30-s blocks of right RTF and rest. Dual-regression analysis of resting fMRI data followed the independent component analysis. Individual spatial maps of coherence between brain areas for 2 networks of interest, sensorimotor and cerebellar, were compared at the group level and correlated with measures of both clinical impairment and brain damage.
Significant RTF-induced differences in RS-FC were observed between groups in the cerebellar network because of increased RS-FC in patients but not in controls. In the sensorimotor network, the RS-FC after RTF increased in both groups, with no significant between-group differences. The sensorimotor and the cerebellar RS-FC were intercorrelated only in patients and only after the RTF. The sensorimotor RS-FC increase in patients correlated with structural MRI alterations.
Our study unmasked RS-FC changes of motor-related networks occurring after a simple repetitive motor task in early RRMS patients only. Evaluation of altered RSN dynamics might prove useful for anticipating neuroplasticity and for MRI-informed neurorehabilitation.
静息脑活动可通过运动任务进行调节以适应功能需求。在多发性硬化症（MS）患者中，已有静息态功能连接（RS-FC）改变的报道，且与功能受损和残疾相关；但对于简单重复运动任务如何调节RS-FC知之甚少。
评估早期复发缓解型MS（RRMS）患者在进行重复性拇指屈曲（RTF）时RS-FC的变化。
共有20名右利手早期RRMS患者和14名健康对照者在进行25分钟交替的30秒右RTF和休息之前及之后接受静息功能磁共振成像（fMRI）扫描。静息fMRI数据的双回归分析遵循独立成分分析。在组水平上比较感兴趣的两个网络（感觉运动网络和小脑网络）脑区之间连贯性的个体空间图谱，并与临床损伤和脑损伤测量值相关联。
在小脑网络中，两组之间观察到显著的RTF诱导的RS-FC差异，因为患者的RS-FC增加而对照组未增加。在感觉运动网络中，两组在RTF后RS-FC均增加，组间无显著差异。仅在患者中且仅在RTF后，感觉运动和小脑RS-FC相互关联。患者感觉运动RS-FC的增加与结构MRI改变相关。
我们的研究揭示了仅在早期RRMS患者中，简单重复运动任务后运动相关网络的RS-FC变化。评估改变的静息态网络动力学可能有助于预测神经可塑性和指导基于MRI的神经康复。
