Table 2.
Network connectivity properties and magnetic resonance markers of tissue damage inside the network.
| Multiple sclerosis patients |
Healthy volunteers |
P-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | Mean (SD) | n | Mean (SD) | ||
| Network connectivity properties | |||||
| Nodal strength | 100 | 6.62 (0.82) | 25 | 6.74 (0.75) | 0.493 |
| Transitivity | 100 | 0.33 (0.03) | 25 | 0.34 (0.03) | 0.221 |
| Global efficiency | 100 | 0.38 (0.03) | 24 | 0.40 (0.02) | 0.002 |
| Local efficiency | 101 | 0.41 (0.02) | 24 | 0.43 (0.02) | <0.001 |
| Assortativity | 101 | −0.11 (0.04) | 24 | −0.13 (0.03) | 0.003 |
| Clustering coefficient | 100 | 0.34 (0.03) | 25 | 0.35 (0.02) | 0.090 |
| Betweenness centrality | 100 | 5.76 (1.49) | 25 | 6.16 (1.44) | 0.225 |
| Magnetic resonance markers of tissue damage | |||||
| RD in WM | 98 | 0.65 (0.04) | 22 | 0.61 (0.02) | <0.001 |
| tNAA/tCr in WM | 101 | 1.80 (0.16) | 25 | 1.88 (0.14) | 0.019 |
| tNAA/tCr in GM | 102 | 1.50 (0.13) | 25 | 1.55 (0.13) | 0.107 |
| mI/tCr in WM | 99 | 0.78 (0.08) | 25 | 0.72 (0.06) | <0.001 |
| mI/tCr in GM | 101 | 0.76 (0.06) | 25 | 0.75 (0.05) | 0.892 |
| Glx/tCr in WM | 100 | 1.18 (0.10) | 23 | 1.21 (0.06) | 0.134 |
| Glx/tCr in GM | 102 | 1.71 (0.15) | 25 | 1.73 (0.08) | 0.455 |
GM = Grey matter; Glx = glutamate + glutamine ratio with total creatine; mI = myo-inositol ratio with total creatine; tNAA/tCr = total N-acetylaspartate ratio with total creatine; RD = radial diffusivity; SD = standard deviation; WM = white matter. Average radial diffusivity is expressed in units of mm2/s × 10−3.
Two sample t-test with unequal variance for all variables.