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Functional MRI study of PASAT in normal subjects

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Abstract

The paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) is routinely used to evaluate the cognitive part of the multiple sclerosis functional composite (MSFC) score, the new reference index of patient disability. PASAT is sensitive to subtle cognitive impairment related to MS, although the cognitive components of this test still remain unclear. In order to better characterize brain systems involved during this complex task, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments were conducted during PASAT in a population of ten normal subjects. The paradigm consisted of a series of 61 single-digit numbers delivered every 3 s. After each number, subjects were asked to overt vocalize the result of the addition of the two last numbers heard. A control task consisting of the repetition of the same series of single-digit numbers was used. Statistical group analysis was performed using the random effect procedure (SPM 99). Cortical activation was observed in the left prefontal cortex, the supplementary motor area, the lateral premotor cortex, the cingulate gyrus, the left parietal lobe, the left superior temporal gyrus, the left temporal pole, and visual associative areas. fMRI activations underlying PASAT were consistent with an involvement of verbal working memory and the semantic memory retrieval network which could be related to arithmetic fact retrieval. This study on normal subjects could provide a base for the understanding of the potential abnormal cortical activation in MS patients performing this test for a cognitive evaluation.

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Acknowledgments.

This work is funded by the CNRS (UMR 6612), the Institut Universitaire de France, the Association pour la Recherche contre la Sclérose en Plaques (ARSEP) and Biogen France.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Résonance Magnétique Biologique et Médicale, UMR CNRS n∘6612, Faculté de Médecine, 27 boulevard Jean Moulin, F-13005, Marseille, France

    B. Audoin, D. Ibarrola, M. V. Au Duong, S. Confort-Gouny, P. J. Cozzone & J.-P. Ranjeva

  2. Département de Neurologie, CHU Timone, 264 rue Saint Pierre, 13385, Marseille cedex 05, France

    B. Audoin, J. Pelletier, I. Malikova & A. Ali-Chérif

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  1. B. Audoin
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  2. D. Ibarrola
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  3. M. V. Au Duong
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  4. J. Pelletier
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  5. S. Confort-Gouny
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  6. I. Malikova
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  7. A. Ali-Chérif
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  8. P. J. Cozzone
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  9. J.-P. Ranjeva
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Correspondence to J.-P. Ranjeva.

Additional information

This revised version was published in March 2005 with corrections to the history.

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Audoin, B., Ibarrola, D., Duong, M. et al. Functional MRI study of PASAT in normal subjects. MAGMA 18, 96–102 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-004-0098-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-004-0098-9

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