Table 4.
Cross-sectional r-fMRI papers.
| Authors (year) | Sample size | Age (mean) | MS duration (years) | EDSS median | Technique(s) | Functional main result(s) | Clinical correlation(s) | Structural correlation(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocca et al. (2010) [83] | 24PP 33 SP 24 HS |
47.9 [29.0–64.0] 46.3 [24.0–65.0] 47.4 [26.0–65.0] |
12.7 [3.0–39.0] 15.5 [4.0–32.0] — |
6.0 [3.0–8.0] 6.0 [4.0–9.0] |
ICA (DMN) | Reduction of RS activity in the ACC was more pronounced in cognitively impaired vs cognitively preserved patients | Positive correlation between PASAT and word list test scores and DMN abnormalities | Positive correlation with DTI changes in the corpus callosum and cingulum |
| Roosendaal et al. (2010) [60] | 14 CIS 31 RR 41 HS |
34.6 (8.4) 39.1 (9.0) 38.6 (10.5) |
1.4 [0.8–1.5] 3.5 [1.1–8.5] |
2.0 [1.0–2.6] 2.5 [2.0–3.5] |
ICA | Greater FC in many RSNs in CIS but not in MS with respect to HS | — | FC in several networks decreases with increasing structural damage |
| Bonavita et al. (2011) [63] | 18 CP RR 18 CI RR 18 HS |
40.5 (6.9) 40.9 (8.7) 39.0 (10.0) |
10.9 (4.7) 11.9 (7.1) — |
2.6 (1.7) 2.8 (1.1) — |
ICA DMN investigation |
Decreased FC in the anterior component of the DMN | Negative correlation between global cognitive scores and FC in the tDMN | No significant result |
| Liu et al. (2011) [58] | 35 RR 35 HS |
38.1 [18.0–58.0] 35.6 [18.0–54.0] |
3.6 [0.5–17.0] — |
2.5 [1.0–6.0] | ALFF | Increment ALFF in the bilateral thalami, R insula, and R superior temporal gyrus | Correlation between EDSS and ALFF in the R insula and R superior temporal gyrus | No significant results |
| Faivre et al. (2012) [61] |
13 early RR 14 HS |
31.8 (7.4) 30.1 (8.6) |
1.1 [0.3–3.3] — |
1.0 [0.0–3.0] — |
ICA | Greater FC in the visual processing network, anterior DMN, dorsal FPN, prefronto-insular network, R ventral FPN, and R SMN | Negative correlation between 9-HPT and MSFC scores and FPN FC | No significant results |
| Liu et al. (2012) [57] | 37 CIS 37 HS |
30.6 [15.0–56.0] 31.4 [17.0–55.0] |
0.3 [0.03–0.5] — |
3.0 [1.0–6.0] — |
ALFF | Decrement of ALFF in the R anterior cingulate cortex, caudate, lingual gyrus, and cuneus | No significant results | No significant results |
| Gallo et al. (2012) [65] | 16 RR nON 14 RR ON 15 HS |
37.8 [19.0–51.0] 33.8 [21.0–50.0] 36.3 [20.0–53.0] |
10.0 [5.0–18.0] 8.2 [3.0–22.0] — |
2.0 [1.0–4.0] mean 2.1 [1.0–5.5] mean |
ICA (visual network) | Lower FC in peristriate cortices, along the fusiform gyri, bilaterally. ON compared to nON: greater FC in the R lateral middle occipital gyrus and lower FC in the R lingual gyrus | Number of optic neuritis associated to reduction of FC in the R inferior peristriate cortex | No significant results |
| Schoonheim et al. (2012) [62] | 12 RR 3 SP M 14 RR 1 SP F 15 HS M 15 HS F |
42.0 (9.6) 42.8 (9.6) 44.3 (8.2) 42.8 (7.6) |
5.1 (4.1) 4.9 (3.9) — — |
3.7 (1.9) 3.2 (1.1) — — |
Graph theory ICA | More altered metrics in male MS | Positive correlation with performance | — |
| Schoonheim al. (2014) [71] | 112 RR, 7 PP, 9 SP 50 HS |
40.4 (11.1) 41.0 (8.8) |
7.7 (2.2) — |
2.0 [0.0–8.0] — |
Fast eigenvector centrality mapping | Modulation of eigenvector centrality mapping and FC of SMC | Positive correlation with cognitive performance Negative correlation with EDSS |
Correlation with thalamic volume |
| Tona et al. (2014) [67] | 48 RR 24 |
36.7 (8.1) 31.1 (6.5) |
7.4 (6.1) — |
2.0 [1.0–4.5] — |
Seed (thalamus) | Coexistence of areas of increased FC and areas of decreased FC | Negative correlation with PASAT 2 s/3 s | — |
| Zhou et al. (2014) [59] | 13 RR 13 HS |
42.1 [20.0–58.0] 41.8 [21.0–58.0] |
2.1 [0.1–12.5] — |
1.5 [1.0–2.5] — |
ALFF (thalamus) | Increment of ALFF in the bilateral thalami | Correlation with PASAT | Correlation with FA in the left thalamus |
| Liu et al. (2015) [68] | 35 RR 35 HS |
38.1 (18–58) 35.6 (18–54) |
3.6 [0.5–17.0] | 2.5 [1.0–6.0] — |
Seed (thalamus) | Decreased FC between the thalamus and several brain regions | Negative correlation between disease duration and interthalamic FC | No significant results |
| Liu et al. (2016) [66] | 28 RR 20 CIS 28 HS |
34.6 (10.0) 32.8 (12.3) 31.6 (11.4) |
3.3 (2.8) 0.3 (0.1) — |
2.7 (1.4) 3.1 (1.9) |
nFCS | Increment of nFCS in CIS evolved in MS vs the remaining CIS in the R anterior cingulate and fusiform gyri | Positive correlation with EDSS | Positive correlation with lesion load |
| Rocca et al. (2016) [70] | 246 MS 55 HS |
41.7 [20–60] 42.3 [19–60] |
13.7 [0.0–36.0] | 3.0 [0.0–9.0] | Graph theory | Different characteristics and distribution of hubs | Association between cognitive deficits and impairment of global integration | No significant results. |
| Zhong et al. (2016) [69] | 26 MI 17MP 20HS |
49.9 (12.25) 48.2 (8.6); 44.2 (13.3) |
12.8 (9.8) 7.4 (5.0) — |
2.0 [0.0–6.0] 3.5 [0.0–6.5] — |
Seed (LM1) | MI had weaker FC at LM1 with SMC and SII | Negative correlation between FC and 9HPT | Structural abnormalities in regions of FC impaired |
| Bisecco et al. (2017) [64] | 28 RR F 31 RR NF 29 HS |
40.5 [21–62] 39.6 [23–54] 40.1 (10.1) |
13.8 [1.0–44.0] 11.2 [1.0–27.0] — |
2.0 [1.0–5.5] 1.5 [1.0–6.0] |
ICA (DMN, SMN) | Functional rearrangement of the DMN and SMN in the MSF | Association of fatigue severity and changes in DMN | — |
FPN: frontoparietal network; SMN: somatomotor network; ON: MS with optical neuritis; nON: MS without optical neuritis; nFCS: normalized voxel-based functional connectivity strength. L: left; R: right; italic font: mean; round parenthesis: standard deviation; squared parenthesis: range.