title: Regional gray matter atrophy and neuropsychologcal problems in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
abstract: In multiple sclerosis, gray matter atrophy is extensive, and cognitive deficits and mood disorders are frequently encountered. It has been conjectured that focal atrophy is associated with emotional decline. However, conventional MRI has revealed that the pathological characteristics cannot fully account for the mood disorders. Moreover, there is no correlation between cognitive disorders and MRI results in clinically isolated syndromes or in cases of definite multiple sclerosis. In this case-control study, voxel-based morphometric analysis was performed on 11 subjects with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and the results show that these patients exhibit gray matter atrophy. Moreover, the gray matter atrophy in the superior and middle gyri of the right frontal lobe in patients with multiple sclerosis was correlated with scores from the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. The scores obtained with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status were associated with gray matter atrophy in the middle gyrus of the left frontal lobe, the superior and middle gyrus of the right frontal lobe, the middle gyrus of the left cingulate, the superior and middle gyri of the left frontal lobe, and the triangular area of the left frontal lobe. However, there was no statistical significance. These findings suggest that the cingulate and frontal cortices of the nant hemisphere are the most severely atrophic regions of the brain, and this atrophy is correlated with cognitive decline and emotional abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Aiyu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Fuyong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Shifang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, Fujian Province, China.
authors.forename: Jiting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: MRI; cognitive; gray matter atrophy; mood; neural regeneration; neurodegeneration; neuroregeneration; relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; voxel-based morphometry