A tractometry principal component analysis of white matter tract network structure and relationships with cognitive function in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Understanding the brain changes underlying cognitive dysfunction is a key priority in multiple sclerosis (MS) to improve monitoring and treatment of this debilitating symptom. Functional connectivity network changes are associated with cognitive dysfunction, but it is less well understood how changes in normal appearing white matter relate to cognitive symptoms. If white matter tracts have network structure it would be expected that tracts within a network share susceptibility to MS pathology.

Mechanisms of Network Changes in Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis.

Background And Objectives: Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with functional connectivity abnormalities. While there have been calls to use functional connectivity measures as biomarkers, there remains to be a full understanding of why they are affected in MS. In this cross-sectional study, we tested the hypothesis that functional network regions may be susceptible to disease-related "wear and tear" and that this can be observable on co-occurring abnormalities on other magnetic resonance metrics.

A Systematic Review of Resting-State Functional MRI Connectivity Changes and Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis.

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) is increasingly being investigated with resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) functional connectivity (FC). However, results remain difficult to interpret, showing both high and low FC associated with cognitive impairment. We conducted a systematic review of rs-fMRI studies in MS to understand whether the direction of FC change relates to cognitive dysfunction, and how this may be influenced by the choice of methodology.

Dispositional Mindfulness, Meditation, and Conditional Goal Setting.

Conditional goal setting (CGS, the tendency to regard high order goals such as happiness, as conditional upon the achievement of lower order goals) is observed in individuals with depression and recent research has suggested a link between levels of dispositional mindfulness and conditional goal setting in depressed patients. Since interventions which aim to increase mindfulness through training in meditation are used with patients suffering from depression it is of interest to examine whether such interventions might alter CGS. Study 1 examined the correlation between changes in dispositional mindfulness and changes in CGS over a 3-4 month period in patients participating in a pilot randomised controlled trial of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).