Functional correlates of cognitive dysfunction in clinically isolated syndromes

PLoS One. 2019 Jul 17;14(7):e0219590. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219590. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Cognitive dysfunction can be identified in patients with clinically isolated syndromes suggestive of multiple sclerosis using ocular motor testing. This study aimed to identify the functional neural correlates of cognitive dysfunction in patients with clinically isolated syndrome using MRI. Eighteen patients with clinically isolated syndrome and 17 healthy controls were recruited. Subjects underwent standard neurological and neuropsychological testing. Subjects also underwent functional MRI (fMRI) during a cognitive ocular motor task, involving pro-saccade (direct gaze towards target) and anti-saccade (direct gaze away from target) trials. Ocular motor performance variables (averaged response time and error rate) were calculated for each subject. Patients showed a trend towards a greater rate of anti-saccade errors (p = 0.09) compared to controls. Compared to controls, patients exhibited increased activation in the right postcentral, right supramarginal gyrus, and the right parietal operculum during the anti-saccade>pro-saccade contrast. This study demonstrated that changes in functional organisation of cognitive brain networks is associated with subtle cognitive changes in patients with clinically isolated syndrome.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Brain / physiopathology
  • Brain Mapping
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / complications
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / diagnostic imaging*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Sclerosis / complications
  • Multiple Sclerosis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Reaction Time
  • Saccades
  • Syndrome
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia (postgraduate scholarship #14-088, SG). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.