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Abstract #1992

Gray Matter Atrophy and Microstructural White Matter Abnormalities Underlying Cognitive Impairment in Benign MS

Elisabetta Pagani1, Gianna Carla Riccitelli1, Marta Radaelli2, Paolo Preziosa1,2, Giancarlo Comi2, Andrea Falini3, Massimo Filippi1,2, and Maria A. Rocca1,2

1Neuroimaging Research Unit, INSPE, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, 2Department of Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, 3Department of Neuroradiology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

The definition of benign multiple sclerosis (BMS) is based on long disease duration and low level of disability, without considering cognitive deficits. Aim of the study was to apply voxel-wise methods to investigate whether cognitive dysfunction in BMS patients is associated with specific patterns of regional damage in the brain gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM). High-resolution T1-weighted and diffusion tensor MRI scans were acquired from 50 healthy controls and 38 BMS patients, 42% of which were classified as cognitively impaired. Distinct regional patterns of abnormalities, functionally relevant for cognitive processing, were associated with cognitive impairment in BMS patients.

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