ASSESSMENT OF NEUROPLASTICITY BASED ON RESTING-STATE FUNCTIONAL MRI DATA IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS IN RESPONSE TO REHABILITATION
USING GRAPH THEORY
Kopteva Yu.P.1,2, Ponomareva S.D.1, Agafyina A.S.1, Trufanov G.E.3, Shcherbak S.G.1,2
1 – City Hospital No. 40 of the Kurortny District. Sestroretsk, Russia.
2 – Medical Institute of Saint-Petersburg State University, Department of Postgraduate Medical Education. Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
3 – V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center. Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Purpose. To evaluate brain changes based on resting-state functional MRI graphs in patients with multiple sclerosis in response to comprehensive rehabilitation measures.
Materials and methods. A total of 30 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis who underwent comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation participated in the study. Resting-state functional MRI was performed at two control points. The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was confirmed clinically.
Results. In response to comprehensive rehabilitation, all patients showed increased integration indices in the orbitofrontal cortex of the right frontal lobe (T=3.03; p<0.01), right superior parietal lobule T=2.28; p=0.034) and posterior regions of the left middle temporal gyrus. Also, after rehabilitation, increased integration was determined in the pole of the left temporal lobe and in the left occipital lobe. The opposite changes (with an increase in segregation indices) were revealed in the left paracingulate gyrus. The vermis regions and the sensorimotor regions of the right and left hemispheres demonstrated functional reorganization with multidirectional changes in segregation and isolation indices.
Discussion. The changes that we identified, indicate an increase in the functional activity of the structures providing planning and complex visual control in response to the neurorehabilitation, which characterizes the adaptive direction of the changes. All patients showed an adaptive redistribution of the activity of the regions involved in the implementation of coordinated movements, as well as complex sensorimotor sensitivity, including the analysis of both proprioceptive and visual information. An increase in functional isolation from the paracingulate gyrus may be associated with fatigue in response to the high-intensity nature of rehabilitation.
Conclusion. Understanding the general patterns of functional changes in the brain in response to complex rehabilitation can ensure both an increase in the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures and the implementation of new approaches to their organization, including taking into account the individual characteristics of patients.
Keywords: resting-state functional MRI, neuroplasticity, multiple sclerosis, rehabilitation.
Corresponding author: Kopteva Yu.P., e-mail: Этот e-mail адрес защищен от спам-ботов, для его просмотра у Вас должен быть включен Javascript .
For citation: Kopteva Yu.P., Ponomareva S.D., Agafyina A.S., Trufanov G.E., Shcherbak S.G. Assessment of neuroplasticity based on resting-state functional MRI data in patients with multiple sclerosis in response to rehabilitation using graph theory. REJR 2025; 15(2):6-20. DOI: 10.21569/2222-7415-2024-15-2-6-20.
Received: 24.02.25 Accepted: 26.03.25