Structural MRI correlates of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis

Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) has been associated with numerous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indices in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. In this study we investigated the association of a large set of 2D and 3D MRI markers with cognitive function in MS. Methods: A sample of 61 RAMS patients (mean age 41.8 +/- 10.6 years old, 44 women, mean disease duration 137.9 +/- 83.9 months) along with 51 age and gender matched healthy controls was used in this cross-sectional study. Neuropsychological and other tests, along with a large set of 2D/3D MRI evaluations were made. Results: 44.3% of patients had CI. CI patients had more disability, physical fatigue than non-CI patients and more psychological distress than non-CI patients and HCs. Also, CI patients had significantly larger third ventricle width and volume, smaller coprus callosum index and larger lesion volume than non-CI patients. These MRI markers also significantly predicted cognitive scores after adjusting for age and education, explaining about 30.6% of the variance of the total cognitive score. Conclusions: Selected linear and volumetric MRI indices predict cognitive function in MS. Future studies should expand these results by exploring longitudinal changes and producing normative data.