TUO07 Somatosensory processing in very prematurely born infants recorded with magnetoencephalography

Abstract

Methods: An electrophysiological parameter measured by Magnetoencephalography was used to quantify an Intra-Cortical Connectivity (ICC) index focused on the primary somatosensory cortical areas (S1). Twenty one patients affected by mild (Extended Disability Scale Score, EDSS, mean 1,7 range 0-3,5) relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) in the remitting phase without clinically evident sensory impairment were evaluated. Three dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (3D-MRI) was used to quantify the lesion load, discriminating black hole (BH) and non-BH portions, normalized by individual brain volumes. Results: When matched with a control population, MS patients showed a reduced ICC, combined with the complete loss of the finger-dependent functional specialization in left S1 cortex. No association was found between ICC impairment and disease duration, or prolongation of the central sensory conduction time, evidence of spinal cord lesions and disease modifying therapy. The ICC index slightly correlated with the lesion load. Conclusion:A local index of intra-cortical connectivity in a circumscribed brain primary area was altered in mildly disabled RR-MS patients, also in absence of any impairment of central sensory conduction. It is concluded that the diffuse damage influencing the multi-nodal network subtending complex cerebral functions also affects intrinsic cortical connectivity. S1 ICC is proposed as a highly sensitive and simple-to-test functional index for the evaluation of the widespread cerebral damage in RR-MS.