Abstract #4335

Relationship Between Structural Brain Damage and Functional Cortical Reorganisation in Patients with Benign Multiple Sclerosis

Antonio Giorgio¹, Emilio Portaccio², Maria Laura Stromillo³, Silvia Marino³, Valentina Zipoli², Gianfranco Siracusa², Marco Battaglini³, Maria Letizia Bartolozzi⁴, Anita Blandino³, Leonello Guidi⁴, Sandro Sorbi², Antonio Federico³, Maria Pia Amato², Nicola De Stefano³

¹Neurology and Neurometabolic Unit, Dept. of Neurological and Behavioral Sciences, Siena University , Siena, Italy; ²Dept. of Neurology, University of Florence, Italy; ³Neurology and Neurometabolic Unit, Dept. of Neurological and Behavioral Sciences, Siena University, Siena, Italy; ⁴Neurology Unit, Hospital of Empoli, Italy

It is not currently known whether the favorable clinical status present several years after disease onset in Benign Multiple Sclerosis (B-MS) might be due to the presence of a more efficient functional cortical reorganisation. In 25 right-handed patients with B-MS, different bilateral brain areas, not only those devoted to motor tasks, were recruited during a simple motor task. This widespread functional cortical reorganisation appeared directly related to the integrity of normal appearing brain tissues and inversely associated with focal WM pathology and progressive brain volume loss.