Distinct mechanisms of altered cerebral activation in patients with multiple sclerosis

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis is common and affects patients early in the course of the disease. Cerebral plasticity may limit the effects of CNS tissue damage on cognition. Here we compared fMRI activation patterns in a group of 19 mildly disabled MS patients and 19 matched control subjects during performance of a delayed recognition task. Moreover, we investigated the relationship between brain activation and neuropsychological test results as well as structural MR measures of disease severity. Results were analyzed using a random effects analysis (SPM2). Patients overall showed more activation th…