Gu Xin-Quan, Liu Ying, Gu Jie-Bing, Li Lin-Fang, Fu Ling-Ling, Han Xue-Mei
China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China.
Cardre's Ward, Changchun Central hospital, Changchun, Jilin Province, China.
Neural Regen Res. 2022 May;17(5):1115-1124. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.324855.
Multiple sclerosis is associated with structural and functional brain alterations leading to cognitive impairments across multiple domains including attention, memory, and the speed of information processing. The hippocampus, which is a brain important structure involved in memory, undergoes microstructural changes in the early stage of multiple sclerosis. In this study, we analyzed hippocampal function and structure in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and explored correlations between the functional connectivity of the hippocampus to the whole brain, changes in local brain function and microstructure, and cognitive function at rest. We retrospectively analyzed data from 20 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients admitted to the Department of Neurology at the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, China, from April 2015 to November 2019. Sixteen healthy volunteers were recruited as the healthy control group. All participants were evaluated using a scale of extended disability status and the Montreal cognitive assessment within 1 week before and after head diffusion tensor imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Compared with the healthy control group, the patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis had lower Montreal cognitive assessment scores and regions of simultaneously enhanced and attenuated whole-brain functional connectivity and local functional connectivity in the bilateral hippocampus. Hippocampal diffusion tensor imaging data showed that, compared with the healthy control group, patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis had lower hippocampal fractional anisotropy values and higher mean diffusivity values, suggesting abnormal hippocampal structure. The left hippocampus whole-brain functional connectivity was negatively correlated with the Montreal cognitive assessment score (r = -0.698, P = 0.025), and whole-brain functional connectivity of the right hippocampus was negatively correlated with extended disability status scale score (r = -0.649, P = 0.042). The mean diffusivity value of the left hippocampus was negatively correlated with the Montreal cognitive assessment score (r = -0.729, P = 0.017) and positively correlated with the extended disability status scale score (r = 0.653, P = 0.041). The right hippocampal mean diffusivity value was positively correlated with the extended disability status scale score (r = 0.684, P = 0.029). These data suggest that the functional connectivity and presence of structural abnormalities in the hippocampus in patients with relapse-remission multiple sclerosis are correlated with the degree of cognitive function and extent of disability. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, China (approval No. 201702202) on February 22, 2017.
多发性硬化症与大脑结构和功能改变相关，可导致多个领域的认知障碍，包括注意力、记忆力和信息处理速度。海马体是大脑中参与记忆的重要结构，在多发性硬化症早期会发生微观结构变化。在本研究中，我们分析了复发缓解型多发性硬化症患者的海马体功能和结构，并探讨了海马体与全脑的功能连接、局部脑功能和微观结构变化以及静息态认知功能之间的相关性。我们回顾性分析了2015年4月至2019年11月在中国吉林大学中日联谊医院神经内科住院的20例复发缓解型多发性硬化症患者的数据。招募了16名健康志愿者作为健康对照组。所有参与者在头部弥散张量成像和功能磁共振成像前后1周内使用扩展残疾状态量表和蒙特利尔认知评估进行评估。与健康对照组相比，复发缓解型多发性硬化症患者的蒙特利尔认知评估得分较低，双侧海马体全脑功能连接和局部功能连接同时增强和减弱的区域。海马体弥散张量成像数据显示，与健康对照组相比，复发缓解型多发性硬化症患者的海马体分数各向异性值较低，平均扩散率值较高，提示海马体结构异常。左侧海马体全脑功能连接与蒙特利尔认知评估得分呈负相关（r = -0.698，P = 0.025），右侧海马体全脑功能连接与扩展残疾状态量表得分呈负相关（r = -0.649，P = 0.042）。左侧海马体的平均扩散率值与蒙特利尔认知评估得分呈负相关（r = -0.729，P = 0.017），与扩展残疾状态量表得分呈正相关（r = 0.653，P = 0.041）。右侧海马体平均扩散率值与扩展残疾状态量表得分呈正相关（r = 0.684，P = 0.029）。这些数据表明，复发缓解型多发性硬化症患者海马体的功能连接和结构异常与认知功能程度和残疾程度相关。本研究于2017年2月22日获得中国吉林大学中日联谊医院伦理委员会批准（批准号：201702202）。
