RRMS vs SPMS

Maps obtained by two sample t-test, corrected for age and gender at p<0.05 FWE (cluster level) are superimposed to a rendered T1 brain image. HC = healthy controls, RRMS = relapsing-remitting MS patients; SPMS = secondary progressive MS patients.

Plots of contrast estimates of brain activity in three groups of subjects: healthy controls (HC), relapsing-remitting (RRMS) MS patients and secondary progressive (SPMS) MS patients, centered on the activity peaks of the average effect of conditions (activation in red, deactivation in blue) by ANOVA (p<0.05 FWE corrected at cluster level).

Plots show that significant differences in brain activation between groups in the left precentral (cluster maxima at −36, −30, 60) cortex and in the left supplementary motor area (SMA) (cluster maxima at 4, −6, 66) was due to increased activation in SPMS than in RRMS and in RRMS than in HC (top). Plots show that significant differences in brain deactivation between groups in the left precuneus (cluster maxima at −24, −90, 34) was due to greater deactivation in the RRMS than in the other two groups whereas in the ipsilateral motor cortex (cluster maxima at 36, −12, 36), deactivation was greater in HC rather than in patients (bottom). (All coordinates refer to the MNI standard brain).

Correlation between mean Z-score of maximum activation cluster in left sensorimotor cortex and 

mean Z-score of maximum deactivation in the posterior corical areas overlapping the 

Default Mode Network (DMN).

R2 values and corresponding linear regression estimate lines for healthy controls (HC) in blue, relapsing-remitting MS patients (RRMS) in light green and secondary progressive (SPMS) in red, are reported. Significant correlation was found in HC (R2 = 0.88, p<0.001), in RRMS (R2 = 0.52, p<0.01), but not in SPMS.