Figueroa-Vargas Alejandra, Navarrete-Caro Sebastián, Cárcamo Claudia, Ciampi Ethel, Vásquez-Torres Macarena, Soler Bernardita, Montalba Cristian, Iriarte-Carter Matías, Martínez-Molina María Paz, Carvajal-Paredes Patricio, Ayala-Ochoa Mariana, Márquez-Rodríguez Víctor, Figueroa-Taiba Paulo, Díaz-Díaz Marcela, Herrero Joaquín, Henríquez-Ch Rodrigo, Stecher Ximena, Manterola Carla, Zamorano Francisco, Guevara Pamela, Aboitiz Francisco, Billeke Pablo
Laboratorio de Neurociencia Social y Neuromodulación (NeuroCICS), Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social, Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del Desarrollo, Las Condes, Chile.
Laboratorio LaNCE, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 12;15(1):16417. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-01465-6.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a prevalent neurological disorder marked by inflammation and demyelination, with fatigue being one of the most reported and debilitating symptoms. While fatigue occurs across various neurological conditions and even in healthy individuals, the specific mechanisms contributing to fatigue in each context remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis involving 32 people with relapsing MS (PwRMS) and 29 healthy controls who reported fatigue. Participants underwent MRI scans, including T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging. Additionally, the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale was utilized. We employed Bayesian LASSO and Spike-and-Slab LASSO regression models to investigate the hypothesis that fatigue correlates differently with brain structures in PwRMS. Our findings revealed brain regions associated with general and cognitive fatigue. In particular, reduced white matter volume and compromised microstructural integrity in specific areas-such as the cingulate gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and the banks of the superior temporal sulcus-showed significant associations with fatigue scores in PwRMS. These results suggest that alterations in specific brain regions may play a critical role in the clinical manifestation of fatigue in MS. Understanding these insights could help differentiate general mechanisms of fatigue from those affecting people with relapsing MS, which may guide future therapeutic strategies.
多发性硬化症（MS）是一种常见的神经系统疾病，其特征为炎症和脱髓鞘，疲劳是最常被报告且使人衰弱的症状之一。虽然疲劳在各种神经系统疾病甚至健康个体中都会出现，但每种情况下导致疲劳的具体机制仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们对32名复发型多发性硬化症患者（PwRMS）和29名报告有疲劳症状的健康对照者进行了横断面分析。参与者接受了MRI扫描，包括T1加权成像和扩散加权成像。此外，还使用了改良疲劳影响量表。我们采用贝叶斯LASSO和尖峰和平板LASSO回归模型来研究疲劳与PwRMS患者脑结构的相关性是否不同这一假设。我们的研究结果揭示了与一般疲劳和认知疲劳相关的脑区。特别是，特定区域（如扣带回、额下回和颞上沟岸）的白质体积减少和微观结构完整性受损与PwRMS患者的疲劳评分显著相关。这些结果表明，特定脑区的改变可能在MS疲劳的临床表现中起关键作用。了解这些见解有助于区分一般疲劳机制与影响复发型MS患者的疲劳机制，这可能为未来的治疗策略提供指导。
