Basal ganglia and frontal/parietal cortical atrophy is associated with fatigue in relapsing—remitting multiple sclerosis
- 29 July 2010
- journal article
- other
- Published by SAGE Publications in Multiple Sclerosis Journal
- Vol. 16 (10), 1220-1228
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458510376405
Abstract
Background: Fatigue is one of the most frequent symptoms suffered by patients affected by multiple sclerosis. The patho-physiological basis of multiple sclerosis-related fatigue remains to be elucidated. Objective: Our aim was to investigate whether a particular pattern of deep and/or cortical grey matter atrophy is associated with fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis. Methods: A total of 152 patients with relapsing—remitting multiple sclerosis were evaluated with the Expanded Disability Status Scale, the Fatigue Severity Status Scale (FSS), the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. The thalamic and basal ganglia volume and the regional cortical thickness were analysed by means of FreeSurfer. Results: Based on Fatigue Severity Status Scale score, patients were divided into fatigued (FSS ≥ 4, 71 patients, 46.6%) and non-fatigued (FSS < 4, 81 patients, 53.4%). A significant atrophy of striatum, thalamus, superior frontal gyrus and inferior parietal gyrus was observed in fatigued patients compared with non-fatigued patients. The cognitive domain of Modified Fatigue Impact Scale significantly correlated with the volume of the striatum and with the cortical thickness of the posterior parietal cortex and middle frontal gyrus (R = 0.51—0.61), while the physical domain of Modified Fatigue Impact Scale significantly correlated with striatum volume and superior frontal gyrus cortical thickness (R = 0.50—0.54). Conclusions: The regional analysis of deep and cortical grey matter atrophy suggests an association between the neurodegenerative process taking place in the striatum—thalamus—frontal cortex pathway and the development of fatigue in relapsing—remitting multiple sclerosis. The inclusion of the posterior parietal cortex as one of the best predictors of the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale cognitive domain suggests the major role of the posterior attentional system in determining cognitive fatigue in relapsing—remitting multiple sclerosis.Keywords
This publication has 38 references indexed in Scilit:
- Role of right posterior parietal cortex in maintaining attention to spatial locations over timeBrain, 2009
- Fatigue in multiple sclerosis is associated with the disruption of frontal and parietal pathwaysMultiple Sclerosis Journal, 2009
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Correlates of Fatigue in Multiple SclerosisNeuroImage, 2002
- Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis Is Associated with Abnormal Cortical Activation to Voluntary Movement—EEG EvidenceNeuroImage, 2001
- Automated manifold surgery: constructing geometrically accurate and topologically correct models of the human cerebral cortexIEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 2001
- Cortical Surface-Based Analysis: II: Inflation, Flattening, and a Surface-Based Coordinate SystemNeuroImage, 1999
- Cortical Surface-Based Analysis: I. Segmentation and Surface ReconstructionNeuroImage, 1999
- An electrophysiological study of the mechanism of fatigue in multiple sclerosisBrain, 1997
- The Attention System of the Human BrainAnnual Review of Neuroscience, 1990
- Rating neurologic impairment in multiple sclerosisNeurology, 1983