The peculiarities of neurological and cognitive disturbances in dependence of brain lesions localization, volume and brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis patients

The objective of the study was to investigate neurological and cognitive disturbances and their relationship with the localization and volume of brain lesions and brain atrophy in patients with multiple sclerosis. Sixty-five patients with relapsing remitted multiple sclerosis were examined. A neurological assessment included FS, EDSS scores and neurophysiological tests. All subjects underwent 1.5-T MRI. Brain atrophy (brain parenchyma volume) and total T2 lesion volume were calculated as percentage of intracranial volume. The neurological disability depended on the development of brain parenchymal volume atrophy and total volume of infratentorial T2-lesions. Cognitive disturbance were found in 89% of patients. Cognitive impairment was related to the progression of the global brain atrophy and the total T2-lesion volume in the dominant hemisphere.