ABSTRACT
La resonancia magnética funcional (RMf) es una herramienta avanzada para el estudio de las funciones cerebrales en sujetos sanos y pacientes neuropsiquiátricos, que logra identificar y localizar fenómenos específicos del metabolismo y la actividad neuronal. Comenzando por la detección de los cambios en la irrigación de una región que participa en una función, actualmente se han desarrollado aproximaciones más complejas que estudian la dinámica de las redes neuronales. Tanto en reposo como asociada a tareas, se ha aportado evidencia relativa al inicio, la evolución o la respuesta al tratamiento de diversas enfermedades. Los posibles artefactos asociados al registro y la complejidad de los diseños experimentales analíticos han generado abundante debate en torno a la técnica de la RMf. El objetivo del presente artículo es introducir al lector en las bases de la RMf, su interpretación y sus contribuciones al estudio de los mecanismos subyacentes a diversas afecciones del sistema nervioso
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an advanced tool for the study of brain functions in healthy subjects and in neuropsychiatric patients. This tool makes it possible to identify and locate specific phenomena related to neuronal metabolism and activity. Starting with the detection of changes in the blood supply to a region that participates in a function, more complex approaches have been developed to study the dynamics of neuronal networks. Studies examining the brain at rest or involved in different tasks have provided evidence related to the onset, development, and/or response to treatment in various diseases. The diversity of the possible artifacts associated with image registration as well as the complexity of the analytical experimental designs has generated abundant debate about the technique behind fMRI. This article aims to introduce readers to the fundamentals underlying fMRI, to explain how fMRI studies are interpreted, and to discuss fMRI's contributions to the study of the mechanisms underlying diverse diseases of the nervous system
Subject(s)
Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Functional Neuroimaging/methods , Central Nervous System Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Mental Disorders/diagnostic imaging , Neurodegenerative Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Neurosciences/trends , Nerve Net/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an advanced tool for the study of brain functions in healthy subjects and in neuropsychiatric patients. This tool makes it possible to identify and locate specific phenomena related to neuronal metabolism and activity. Starting with the detection of changes in the blood supply to a region that participates in a function, more complex approaches have been developed to study the dynamics of neuronal networks. Studies examining the brain at rest or involved in different tasks have provided evidence related to the onset, development, and/or response to treatment in various diseases. The diversity of the possible artifacts associated with image registration as well as the complexity of the analytical experimental designs has generated abundant debate about the technique behind fMRI. This article aims to introduce readers to the fundamentals underlying fMRI, to explain how fMRI studies are interpreted, and to discuss fMRI's contributions to the study of the mechanisms underlying diverse diseases of the nervous system.
Subject(s)
Brain Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Humans , Neurosciences/methodsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment is a relevant contributor of the medical and social burden in Progressive MS. Social Cognition, the neurocognitive processes underlying social interaction, has been explored mainly in European and North American cohorts, influencing social aspects of quality of life (QOL) of early MS patients and families. Few studies have studied Social Cognition in Progressive MS and the literature on its neuroanatomical bases or brain atrophy measurements is still scarce. OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between Social Cognition performance and its correlations with traditional cognitive domains, brain atrophy and QOL in primary and secondary Progressive MS patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis including: mini-Social-Cognition-and-Emotional-Assessment (mini-SEA), neuropsychological battery, disability, depression, fatigue, QOL, and brain volume. RESULTS: Forty-three MS patients, 23 primary and 20 secondary Progressive, 65% women, mean age and disease duration of 57.2 and 15.7 years, respectively, with high levels of disability (median EDSS 6.0) and a widespread impairment in traditional domains (mostly episodic verbal/visual and working memories) were assessed. The Mini-SEA score was correlated with executive functions (cognitive shifts Rho:0.55; p = 0.001) analyzing the whole group, and with visual episodic memory (Rho:0.58, p = 0.009) in the primary Progressive MS group. Mini-SEA score was also correlated with total normalized grey matter volume (Rho:0.48; p = 0.004). Particularly, atrophy within bilateral cortical regions of orbitofrontal, insula and cerebellum, and right regions of fusiform gyrus and precuneus were significantly associated with higher Social Cognition impairment. In this cohort, QOL was not correlated with Social Cognition, but with EDSS, fatigue and depression. CONCLUSIONS: In Progressive MS, Social Cognition is directly correlated with traditional cognitive domains such as executive function and episodic memory. It is also associated with global grey matter atrophy and regional atrophy within associative visual and executive cortical areas, but no correlations with QOL were found in this cohort. These findings may contribute to the understanding of the pathological bases behind Social Cognition in Progressive MS.
