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Background: Cognitive phenotyping may be useful for predicting rehabilitation response in multiple sclerosis. Objective: To evaluate the association between cognitive phenotype(s) and response to restorative cognitive rehabilitation (RRCR). Methods: In a post hoc retrospective analysis of the RRCR study including 51 multiple sclerosis patients, we evaluated both impairment within specific cognitive domains as well as overall global impairment severity to investigate their relationship to improvement following rehabilitation. Results: Greater improvement in executive function was predicted by impairment within this domain as well as by having fewer impaired cognitive domains overall. Similar results were observed for visuospatial memory. Conclusions: Patients most likely to benefit from restorative cognitive rehabilitation may exhibit impairment within the domain of interest yet lower cognitive burden overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suboptimal performance during neuropsychological testing frequently occurs in multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to unreliable cognitive outcomes. Neurophysiological alterations correlate with MS-related cognitive impairment, but studies have not yet considered performance validity. Objectives: To investigate neurophysiological markers of cognitive impairment in MS, while explicitly addressing performance validity. Methods: Magnetoencephalography recordings, neuropsychological assessments, and performance validity testing were obtained from 90 MS outpatients with cognitive complaints. Spectral and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) properties were compared between cognitively impaired (CI), cognitively preserved (CP), and suboptimally performing (SUB) patients using regression models and permutation testing. Results: CI had higher power in low-frequency bands and lower power in high bands compared to CP, indicating neuronal slowing. CI also showed lower beta power compared to SUB. Overall power spectra visually differed between CI and CP, and SUB showed overlap with both groups. CI had lower rsFC than CP and SUB patients. CP and SUB patients showed no differences. Conclusion: Neuronal slowing and altered rsFC can be considered cognitive markers in MS. Patients who performed suboptimally showed resemblance with patients with and without cognitive impairments, and although their overall neurophysiological profile was more similar to patients without impairments, it suggests heterogeneity regarding their pathophysiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Up to 65% of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) develop cognitive deficits, which hampers participation in day-to-day life and ultimately reduces quality of life (QoL). Treatment of symptoms at a late stage can lead to cognitive impairment and unemployment, highlighting the need for preventative interventions in PwMS. Presenting a combination of exercise and cognitive training early might postpone cognitive decline. This study highlights one intervention of the Don't be late! study, which aims to evaluate the (cost-)effectiveness of an innovative preventative intervention, aimed at postponing cognitive decline, compared to enhanced usual care in improving health-related QoL (HRQoL). Randomised controlled trial including 270 PwMS with mild cognitive impairment, who have paid employment ≥ 12 hours per week and are able to participate in physical exercise (Expanded Disability Status Scale < 6.0). Participants are assigned to either a lifestyle intervention combining one-on-one personal fitness, mental coaching, dietary advice, and cognitive training, adjusted to the goals and level of the participant or a control group receiving general information about cognitive impairment in MS and receiving care as usual. Intervention duration is four months, with short-term and long-term follow-up measurements at 10 and 16 months, respectively. The overarching study also includes a work-focused intervention. The primary outcome measure will be HRQoL. Secondary outcomes include cognition, structural and functional brain changes, work related outcomes, physical functioning, psychological functioning, and societal costs. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with stakeholders will be organised to qualitatively reflect on the process and outcome of the interventions. This study seeks to prevent (further) cognitive decline due to MS by introducing tailor-made interventions at an early stage of cognitive symptoms, thereby maintaining or improving HRQoL. Qualitative analyses will be performed to allow successful implementation into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cortical lesions are highly inconspicuous on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Double inversion recovery (DIR) has a higher sensitivity than conventional clinical sequences (i.e. T1, T2, FLAIR) but is difficult to acquire, leading to overseen cortical lesions in clinical care and clinical trials. Objective: To evaluate the usability of artificially generated DIR (aDIR) images for cortical lesion detection compared to conventionally acquired DIR (cDIR). Methods: The dataset consisted of 3D-T1 and 2D-proton density (PD) T2 images of 73 patients (49RR, 20SP, 4PP) at 1.5 T. Using a 4:1 train:test-ratio, a fully convolutional neural network was trained to predict 3D-aDIR from 3D-T1 and 2D-PD/T2 images. Randomized blind scoring of the test set was used to determine detection reliability, precision and recall. Results: A total of 626 vs 696 cortical lesions were detected on 15 aDIR vs cDIR images (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.92). Compared to cDIR, precision and recall were 0.84 ± 0.06 and 0.76 ± 0.09, respectively. The frontal and temporal lobes showed the largest differences in discernibility. Conclusion: Cortical lesions can be detected with good reliability on artificial DIR. The technique has potential to broaden the availability of DIR in clinical care and provides the opportunity of ex post facto implementation of cortical lesions imaging in existing clinical trial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain functional connectivity (FC) in multiple sclerosis (MS) is abnormal compared to healthy controls (HCs). More longitudinal studies in MS are needed to evaluate whether FC stability is clinically relevant. Objective: To compare functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based FC between MS and HC, and to determine the relationship between longitudinal FC changes and structural brain damage, cognitive performance and physical disability. Methods: T1-weighted MPRAGE and resting-state fMRI (1.5T) were acquired from 70 relapsing-remitting MS patients and 94 matched HC at baseline (mean months since diagnosis 14.0 ± 11) and from 60 MS patients after 5 years. Independent component analysis and network modelling were used to measure longitudinal FC stability and cross-sectional comparisons with HC. Linear mixed models, adjusted for age and sex, were used to calculate correlations. Results: At baseline, patients with MS showed FC abnormalities both within networks and in single connections compared to HC. Longitudinal analyses revealed functional stability and no significant relationships with clinical disability, cognitive performance, lesion or brain volume. Conclusion: FC abnormalities occur already at the first decade of MS, yet we found no relevant clinical correlations for these network deviations. Future large-scale longitudinal fMRI studies across a range of MS subtypes and outcomes are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]