Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Functional MRI during the execution of a motor task in patients with multiple sclerosis and fatigue

RM-f durante un compito motorio in pazienti con sclerosi multipla e fatica

  • Neuroradiology / Neuroradiologia
  • Published:
La radiologia medica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study was undertaken to assess cortical activation during execution of a motor task in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and fatigue.

Materials and methods

We enrolled 24 right-handed patients affected by relapsing-remitting MS and mild disability (12 with and 12 without fatigue) and 15 healthy volunteers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination (1.5 T) was performed with conventional sequences and an echoplanar imaging (EPI) sequence for functional MRI (fMRI). The motor task consisted of sequential finger tapping performed with the right hand. Statistical maps of motor activation were obtained. Comparison between the two subgroups of patients and between patients and controls was performed with analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical analysis (p<0.05).

Results

Compared with controls, patients without fatigue showed greater activation of the primary sensorimotor cortex bilaterally, of the right supplementary motor cortex, of the left premotor cortex, of the left cerebellum and of the superior parietal lobule bilaterally. Compared with patients without fatigue, patients with fatigue demonstrated greater activation of the right premotor area, of the putamen and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Conclusions

Patients with fatigue have greater activation of the motor-attentional network when performing a simple motor task.

Riassunto

Obiettivo

Scopo del nostro lavoro è stato valutare l’attivazione corticale durante un compito motorio in pazienti con sclerosi multipla (SM) e fatica.

Materiali e metodi

Sono stati arruolati 24 pazienti destrimani con SM recidivante-remittente (12 senza e 12 con fatica) e 15 volontari sani. L’indagine in risonanza magnetica (RM) (1,5 T) è stata eseguita in tutti i soggetti mediante sequenze convenzionali ed echo-planar imaging (EPI) per lo studio funzionale. Il compito motorio consisteva nel finger tapping sequenziale con la mano dominante. Sono state ottenute mappe statistiche di attivazione motoria. Il confronto fra i gruppi è stato condotto mediante analisi della varianza (ANOVA) (p<0,05).

Risultati

Rispetto ai controlli, nel gruppo di pazienti senza fatica è stato osservato un incremento dell’attivazione a livello delle aree sensitivo-motorie primarie, motoria supplementare di destra e premotoria di sinistra. è stata inoltre rilevata una maggiore attivazione a livello del cervelletto, controlateralmente al movimento, e a livello del lobulo parietale superiore bilateralmente. Dal confronto tra i due gruppi di pazienti, nei pazienti con fatica è emersa, a destra, una maggior attivazione a livello dell’area premotoria, del putamen e della corteccia prefrontale dorsolaterale.

Conclusioni

In pazienti affetti da SM, l’insorgenza del sintomo fatica è accompagnato da una maggior attivazione del circuito motorio-attentivo omolaterale al movimento.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References/Bibliografia

  1. Krupp LB, Alvarez LA, LaRocca NG, Scheinberg LC (1988) Fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Arch Neurol 45:435–437

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Krupp LB, Elkins LE (2000) Fatigue and declines in cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis. Neurology 55(7):934–939

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Cook DB, O’Connor PJ, Lange G, Steffener J (2007) Functional neuroimaging correlates of mental fatigue induced by cognition among chronic fatigue syndrome patients and controls. Neuroimage 36:108–122

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. DeLuca J, Genova HM, Hillary FG, Wylie G (2008) Neural correlates of cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis using functional MRI. J Neurol Sci 270:28–39

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Latash M, Kalugina E, Nicholas J et al (1996) Myogenic and central neurogenic factors in fatigue in MS. Mult Scler 1:236–241

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Tartaglia MC, Narayanan S, Arnold DL (2008) Mental fatigue alters the pattern and increases the volume of cerebral activation required for a motor task in multiple sclerosis patients with fatigue. Eur J Neurol 15:413–419

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Tartaglia MC, Narayanan S, Francis SJ et al (2004) The relationship between diffuse axonal damage and fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Arch Neurol 61:201–207

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Téllez N, Alonso J, Río J et al (2008) The basal ganglia: a substrate for fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Neuroradiology 50:17–23

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Tedeschi G, Dinacci D, Lavorgna L et al (2007) Correlation between fatigue and brain atrophy and lesion load in multiple sclerosis patients independent of disability. J Neurol Sci 263:15–19

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Roelcke U, Kappos L, Lechner-Scott J et al (1997) Reduced glucose metabolism in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia of multiple sclerosis patients with fatigue. Neurology 48:1566–1571

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Filippi M, Rocca MA, Colombo B et al (2002) Functional magnetic resonance imaging correlates of fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Neuroimage 15:559–567

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Filippi M, Rocca MA, Mezzapesa DM et al (2004) A functional MRI study of cortical activations associated with object manipulation in patients with MS. Neuroimage 21:1147–1154

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Valsasina P, Rocca MA, Absinta M et al (2011) A multicentre study of motor functional connectivity changes in patients with multiple sclerosis. Eur J Neurosci 33:1256–1263

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Quattrocchi CC, Cherubini A, Luccichenti G et al (2010) Infratentorial lesion volume correlates with sensory functional system in multiple sclerosis patients: a 3.0-Tesla MRI study. Radiol Med 115:115–124

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Nair DG, Purcott KL, Fuchs A et al (2003) Cortical and cerebellar activity of the human brain during imagined and executed unimanual and bimanual action sequences: a functional MRI study. Cognitive Brain Research 15:250–260

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Chong RK, Mills B, Dayley L et al (2010) Specific interference between a cognitive task and sensory organization for stance balance control in healthy young adults: visuospatial effects. Neuropsychologia 48:2709–2718

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Calabrese M, Rinaldi F, Grossi P et al (2010) Basal ganglia and frontal/parietal cortical atrophy is associated with fatigue in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler 16:1220–1228

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Liepert J, Mingers D, Heesen C et al (2005) Motor cortex excitability and fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Mult Scler 11:316–321

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Morgante F, Dattola V, Crupi D et al (2011) Is central fatigue in multiple sclerosis a disorder of movement preparation? J Neurol 258:263–272

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Yaldizli O, Glassl S, Sturm D et al (2011) Fatigue and progression of corpus callosum atrophy in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol 258:2199–2205

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Grefkes C, Nowak DA, Eickhoff SB et al (2008) Cortical connectivity after subcortical stroke assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Ann Neurol 63:236–246

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Tombari D, Loubinoux I, Pariente J et al (2004) A longitudinal fMRI study: in recovering and then in clinically stable sub-cortical stroke patients. Neuroimage 23:827–839

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Naccarato M, Calautti C, Jones PS et al (2006) Does healthy aging affect the hemispheric activation balance during paced index-to-thumb opposition task? An fMRI study. Neuroimage 32:1250–1256

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Chaudhuri A, Behan PO (2000) Fatigue and basal ganglia. J Neurol Sci 179(Suppl 1–2):34–42

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.C.O. di Radiologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e della Salute, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria AOUTS, Trieste, Strada di Fiume 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy

    I. Specogna, F. Casagrande, A. Lorusso, M. Ukmar & M. A. Cova

  2. U.C.O. di Neurologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e della Salute, Università degli Studi di Trieste, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria AOUTS, Trieste, Italy

    M. Catalan, A. Gorian, L. Zugna, M. Zorzon, M. Naccarato & G. Pizzolato

  3. Dipartimento di Fisica e INFN, Sezione di Trieste, Università di Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    R. Longo

Authors
  1. I. Specogna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. F. Casagrande
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Lorusso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. Catalan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. A. Gorian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. L. Zugna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. R. Longo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. M. Zorzon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. M. Naccarato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. G. Pizzolato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. M. Ukmar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. M. A. Cova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to I. Specogna.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Specogna, I., Casagrande, F., Lorusso, A. et al. Functional MRI during the execution of a motor task in patients with multiple sclerosis and fatigue. Radiol med 117, 1398–1407 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-012-0845-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-012-0845-3

Keywords

Parole chiave

Search

Navigation