title: Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: Neural Correlates and the Role of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and the major cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults. Fatigue is a frequent symptom reported by the majority of MS patients during their disease course and drastically affects their quality of life. Despite its significant prevalence and impact, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are not well elucidated. MS fatigue is still considered the result of multifactorial and complex constellations, and is commonly classified into "primary" fatigue related to the pathological changes of the disease itself, and "secondary" fatigue attributed to mimicking symptoms, comorbid sleep and mood disorders, and medications side effects. Radiological, physiological, and endocrine data have raised hypotheses regarding the origin of this symptom, some of which have succeeded in identifying an association between MS fatigue and structural or functional abnormalities within various brain networks. Hence, the aim of this work is to reappraise the neural correlates of MS fatigue and to discuss the rationale for the emergent use of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques as potential treatments. This will include a presentation of the various NIBS modalities and a suggestion of their potential mechanisms of action in this context. Specific issues related to the value of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) will be addressed.
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil Créteil, France ; Service de Physiologie - Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Moussa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chalah
authors.affiliation: Neurology Division, University Medical Center Rizk Hospital Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Naji
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Riachi
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil Créteil, France ; Neurology Division, University Medical Center Rizk Hospital Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Rechdi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahdab
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil Créteil, France ; Service de Neurologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Créange
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil Créteil, France ; Service de Physiologie - Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Pascal
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lefaucheur
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil Créteil, France ; Service de Physiologie - Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Samar S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ayache
keywords: fatigue; multiple sclerosis; network; non-invasive brain stimulation; tDCS