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Mapping face encoding using functional MRI in multiple sclerosis across disease phenotypes

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Abstract

Using fMRI during a face encoding (FE) task, we investigated the behavioral and fMRI correlates of FE in patients with relapse-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) at different stages of the disease and their relation with attentive-executive performance and structural MRI measures of disease-related damage. A fMRI FE task was administered to 75 MS patients (11 clinically isolated syndromes - CIS, 40 relapsing-remitting - RRMS - and 24 secondary progressive - SPMS) and 22 healthy controls (HC). fMRI activity during the face encoding condition was correlated with behavioral, clinical, neuropsychological and structural MRI variables. All study subjects activated brain regions belonging to face perception and encoding network, and deactivated areas of the default-mode network. Compared to HC, MS patients had the concomitant presence of areas of increased and decreased activations as well as increased and decreased deactivations. Compared to HC or RRMS, CIS patients experienced an increased recruitment of posterior-visual areas. Thalami, para-hippocampal gyri and right anterior cingulum were more activated in RRMS vs CIS or SPMS patients, while an increased recruitment of frontal areas was observed in SPMS vs RRMS. Areas of abnormal activations were significantly correlated with clinical, cognitive-behavioral and structural MRI measures. Abnormalities of FE network occur in MS and vary across disease clinical phenotypes. Early in the disease, an increased recruitment of areas typically devoted to face perception and encoding occurs. In SPMS patients, abnormal functional recruitment of frontal lobe areas might contribute to the severity of clinical manifestations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy

    Maria A. Rocca, Laura Vacchi, Alessandro Meani & Massimo Filippi

  2. Department of Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

    Maria A. Rocca, Mariaemma Rodegher, Vittorio Martinelli, Francesca Possa, Giancarlo Comi & Massimo Filippi

  3. Department of Neuroradiology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

    Andrea Falini

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  1. Maria A. Rocca
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  2. Laura Vacchi
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  3. Mariaemma Rodegher
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  4. Alessandro Meani
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  5. Vittorio Martinelli
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  7. Giancarlo Comi
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  9. Massimo Filippi
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Correspondence to Massimo Filippi.

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Funding

Partially supported by grants from the Italian Ministry of Health (GR 2008–1,138,784) and Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla (FISM2011/R/19).

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

L. Vacchi, ME Rodegher, A. Meani, V. Martinelli, F. Possa and A. Falini report no disclosures.

M.A. Rocca received speakers honoraria from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Genzyme and ExCemed and receives research support from the Italian Ministry of Health and Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla.

G. Comi has received compensation for consulting services and/or speaking activities from Novartis, Teva Pharmaceutical Ind., Sanofi, Genzyme, Merck Serono, Biogen Bayer, Actelion and ExCemed.

M. Filippi serves on a scientific advisory board for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries; has received compensation for consulting services and/or speaking activities from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, Merck Serono, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries; and receives research support from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, Merck Serono, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Italian Ministry of Health, Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla, Cure PSP, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), and the Jacques and Gloria Gossweiler Foundation (Switzerland).

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Rocca, M.A., Vacchi, L., Rodegher, M. et al. Mapping face encoding using functional MRI in multiple sclerosis across disease phenotypes. Brain Imaging and Behavior 11, 1238–1247 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-016-9591-9

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