Fatigue is a multifactorial symptom frequently reported by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. To date, the pathophysiology of MS fatigue remains poorly understood and little is known about the ...relationship between this symptom and various clinical, neuropsychological, neurophysiological and radiological data. The aim of this work is to understand the underlying mechanisms of MS fatigue by means of a multidimensional evaluation.
Fatigued (n = 21) and non-fatigued (n = 17) MS patients were enrolled based on the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale. They underwent clinical (disability score and disease duration), neuropsychological (scales of depression, anxiety, alexithymia, sleep, and Symbol Digit Modalities Test), neurophysiological (corticospinal excitability measures using transcranial magnetic stimulation), and radiological (volume-based morphometric magnetic resonance imaging) evaluations. The normality of data distribution was studied by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Group comparison was performed using the Mann-Whitney or Student t test (quantitative data) and the exact Fisher's test (qualitative data). Correlation analysis was done using Pearson and Spearman tests.
Fatigued patients had higher depression (p = 0.02), anxiety (p = 0.02) and alexithymia (p = 0.04) scores compared to non-fatigued patients. On the neurophysiological and radiological evaluations, they also had higher short-interval intracortical inhibition (p = 0.04), larger caudate nuclei (p ≤ 0.01) and smaller left parietal cortex (p = 0.01). These findings were in line with the correlation analyses results.
The neuropsychological findings suggest common underlying mechanisms as well as bi-directional relationships between fatigue and each of anxiety, depression, and alexithymia. The neurophysiological findings may reflect maladaptive neuroplasticity processes and an aberrant GABAergic transmission in the generation of fatigue. The radiological findings could be interpreted in the light of the 'dysfunctional hypertrophy' or 'compensatory hypertrophy' hypotheses.
Abstract Objective To compare the beneficial effect of nap versus rest on the recovery of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) after a fatiguing exercise performed in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) ...and healthy controls. Methods In 12 MS patients and 12 healthy controls, MEPs were recorded from the adductor pollicis muscle before, 10 and 60 min (T0, T10, and T60) after an effort of thumb adduction at 25% of maximal voluntary contraction force for 24 min. After the effort, the subject was maintained at rest or invited to have a nap while monitored with polysomnography. The two sessions (nap and rest) were randomly performed in each subject during the same day. The impact of nap and rest on post-exercise changes in MEP amplitude were studied in each group (patients and controls) and then compared between the two groups. Results Although MEP amplitude at baseline was lower in MS patients than in controls, post-exercise corticomotor depression (PECD), expressed as T10/T0 MEP amplitude ratio, was similar in both groups. Regarding MEP amplitude recovery at T60, nap was significantly more beneficial than rest in healthy subjects, but not in MS patients. Conclusion Motor recovery from PECD following a fatiguing exercise can be enhanced by sleep (at least a short nap) in healthy subjects. In MS patients, sleep restorative effect is reduced or lost, maybe contributing to the excessive fatigue or fatigability characterized in these patients.
Pain and cognitive impairment are frequent symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Neglecting experimental pain and paying attention to demanding tasks is reported to decrease the pain ...intensity. Little is known about the interaction between chronic neuropathic pain and attention disorders in MS. Recently, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was used to modulate various cognitive and motor symptoms in MS. We aimed to study the effects of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), a form of transcranial electric stimulation, over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on attention and neuropathic pain in MS patients.
16 MS patients were included in a randomized, sham-controlled, cross-over study. Each patient randomly received two tRNS blocks, separated by three weeks of washout interval. Each block consisted of three consecutive daily sessions of either active or sham tRNS. The patients were evaluated for pain, attention and mood and further underwent an electrophysiological evaluation.
Compared to sham, tRNS showed a trend to decrease the N2-P2 amplitudes of pain related evoked potentials and improve pain ratings. Attention performance and mood scales did not change after stimulations.
This study suggests the role of tRNS in pain modulation, which could have been more evident with longer stimulation protocols.
Antigen expression of a human endogenous retrovirus family, HERV-W, in normal human brain and multiple sclerosis lesions was studied by immunohistochemistry by three independent groups. The HERV-W ...multicopy family was identified in human DNA from the previously characterized multiple sclerosis-associated retroviral element (MSRV). A panel of antibodies against envelope (ENV) and capsid (GAG) antigens was tested. A physiological expression of GAG proteins in neuronal cells was observed in normal brain, whereas there was a striking accumulation of GAG antigen in axonal structures in demyelinated white matter from patients with MS. Prominent HERV-W GAG expression was also detected in endothelial cells of MS lesions from acute or actively demyelinating cases, a pattern not found in any control. A physiological expression of ENV proteins was detected in microglia in normal brain; however, a specific expression in macrophages was apparently restricted to early MS lesions. Thus, converging results from three groups confirm that GAG and ENV proteins encoded by the HERV-W multicopy gene family are expressed in cells of the central nervous system under normal conditions. Similar to HERV-W7q ENV (Syncitin), which is expressed in placenta and has been shown to have a physiological function in syncytio-trophoblast fusion, HERV-W GAG may thus also have a physiological function in human brain. This expression differs in MS lesions, which may either reflect differential regulation of inherited HERV-W copies, or expression of "infectious" MSRV copies. This is compatible with a pathophysiological role in MS, but also illustrates the ambivalence of such HERV antigens, which can be expressed in cell-specific patterns, under physiological or pathological conditions.
In this retrospective study, we aimed at defining the clinical, paraclinical and outcome features of acute neurological syndromes associated with anti-GQ1b antibodies.
We identified 166 patients with ...neurological symptoms appearing in less than 1 month and anti-GQ1b antibodies in serum between 2012 and 2022. Half were female (51%), mean age was 50 years (4-90), and the most frequent clinical features were areflexia (80% of patients), distal upper and lower limbs sensory symptoms (78%), ophthalmoplegia (68%), sensory ataxia (67%), limb muscle weakness (45%) and bulbar weakness (45%). Fifty-three patients (32%) presented with complete (21%) and incomplete (11%) Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), thirty-six (22%) with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), one (0.6%) with Bickerstaff encephalitis (BE), and seventy-three (44%) with mixed MFS, GBS & BE clinical features. Nerve conduction studies were normal in 46% of cases, showed demyelination in 28%, and axonal loss in 23%. Anti-GT1a antibodies were found in 56% of cases, increased cerebrospinal fluid protein content in 24%, and Campylobacter jejuni infection in 7%. Most patients (83%) were treated with intravenous immunoglobulins, and neurological recovery was complete in 69% of cases at 1 year follow-up. One patient died, and 15% of patients relapsed. Age > 70 years, initial Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, and absent anti-GQ1b IgG antibodies were predictors of incomplete recovery at 12 months. No predictors of relapse were identified.
This study from Western Europe shows acute anti-GQ1b antibody syndrome presents with a large clinical phenotype, a good outcome in 2/3 of cases, and frequent relapses.
Epidural motor cortex stimulation (MCS) has been proposed as a treatment for chronic, drug-resistant neuropathic pain of various origins. Regarding pain syndromes due to peripheral nerve lesion, only ...case series have previously been reported. We present the results of the first randomized controlled trial using chronic MCS in this indication. Sixteen patients were included with pain origin as follows: trigeminal neuralgia (n = 4), brachial plexus lesion (n = 4), neurofibromatosis type-1 (n = 3), upper limb amputation (n = 2), herpes zoster ophthalmicus (n = 1), atypical orofacial pain secondary to dental extraction (n = 1) and traumatic nerve trunk transection in a lower limb (n = 1). A quadripolar lead was implanted, under radiological and electrophysiological guidance, for epidural cortical stimulation. A randomized crossover trial was performed between 1 and 3 months postoperative, during which the stimulator was alternatively switched ‘on’ and ‘off’ for 1 month, followed by an open phase during which the stimulator was switched ‘on’ in all patients. Clinical assessment was performed up to 1 year after implantation and was based on the following evaluations: visual analogue scale (VAS), brief pain inventory, McGill Pain questionnaire, sickness impact profile and medication quantification scale. The crossover trial included 13 patients and showed a reduction of the McGill Pain questionnaire-pain rating index (P = 0.0166, Wilcoxon test) and McGill Pain questionnaire sensory subscore (P = 0.01) when the stimulator was switched ‘on’ compared to the ‘off-stimulation’ condition. However, these differences did not persist after adjustment for multiple comparisons. In the 12 patients who completed the open study, the VAS and sickness impact profile scores varied significantly in the follow-up and were reduced at 9–12 months postoperative, compared to the preoperative baseline. At final examination, the mean rate of pain relief on VAS scores was 48% (individual results ranging from 0% to 95%) and MCS efficacy was considered as good or satisfactory in 60% of the patients. Pain relief after 1 year tended to correlate with pain scores at 1 month postoperative, but not with age, pain duration or location, preoperative pain scores or sensory-motor status. Although the results of the crossover trial were slightly negative, which may have been due to carry-over effects from the operative and immediate postoperative phases, observations made during the open trial were in favour of a real efficacy of MCS in peripheral neuropathic pain. Analgesic effects were obtained on the sensory-discriminative rather than on the affective aspect of pain. These results suggest that the indication of MCS might be extended to various types of refractory, chronic peripheral pain beyond trigeminal neuropathic pain.
•A highly-accelerated double inversion recovery (DIR) sequence using parallel imaging and iterative denoising was compared with a conventional DIR sequence for image quality and detection of ...juxtacortical and infratentorial multiple sclerosis lesions.•Highly-accelerated DIR sequence allows detecting significantly more juxtacortical multiple sclerosis lesions that conventional DIR sequence with the advantage of a 40% decrease in image acquisition time.•Despite image iterative denoising, highly-accelerated DIR sequence is limited in the analysis of the posterior fossa.
The purpose of this study was to compare a highly-accelerated double inversion recovery (fast-DIR) sequence using a recent parallel imaging technique (CAIPIRINHA) with a conventional DIR (conv-DIR) sequence for image quality and the detection of juxtacortical and infratentorial multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions.
A total of 38 patients with MS who underwent brain MRI at 3 T between 2020 and 2021 were included. There were 27 women and 12 men with a mean age of 40 ± 12.8 (standard deviation) years (range: 20–59 years). All patients underwent conv-DIR sequence and fast-DIR sequence. Fast-DIR was obtained with a T2-preparation module to improve contrast and an iterative denoising algorithm to compensate noise enhancement. Two blinded readers reported the number of juxtacortical and infratentorial MS lesions for fast-DIR and conv-DIR, confirmed by further consensus reading that was used as the standard of reference. Image quality and contrast were evaluated for fast-DIR and conv-DIR sequences. Comparisons between fast-DIR and conv-DIR sequences were performed using Wilcoxon test and Lin concordance correlation coefficient.
Thirty-eight patients were analyzed. Fast-DIR imaging allowed detection of 289 juxtacortical lesions vs. 238 with conv-DIR, corresponding to a significant improved detection rate with fast-DIR (P < 0.001). Conversely, 117 infratentorial lesions were detected with conv-DIR sequence vs. 80 with fast-DIR sequence (P < 0.001). Inter-observer agreement for lesion detection with fast-DIR and conv-DIR was very high (Lin concordance correlation coefficient ranging between 0.86 and 0.96).
Fast-DIR improves the detection of juxtacortical MS lesions, but is limited for the detection of infratentorial MS lesions.
The nerve plexus is susceptible to various pathological processes. In addition to clinical and electrophysiological findings, magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) may contribute to characterize ...plexus involvement. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was reported feasible for the nerve plexuses imaging but its value in the clinical practice remains uncertain. From 2014 to 2020, we routinely performed MRN including DTI at 3T in patients with acute or chronic plexopathy. DTI images were co-registered with conventional MRN images. MRN images including DTI were reviewed by consensus by two neuroradiologists and one neurologist. They retrospectively identified cases for whom the use of DTI had a potential impact on the diagnostic workup, seven of these clinical cases are presented here. Compared to conventional MRN, the added value of DTI consisted in: (i) improved detection of signal/morphological abnormalities of the plexus (due to removal of background structures, multiplanar reformatted views and large field of view), (ii) additional information regarding the microarchitecture of nerve fibers provided by DTI metrics, (iii) potential alternative for the use of gadolinium. This case series supports the implementation of DTI in MRN protocols.
Vivre avec une maladie neurologique évolutive, source de handicap physique et/ou cognitif, impacte l’estime de soi (EDS) des malades.
Objectifs de l’atelier d’ETP :
Définir l’EDS ;
– évaluer l’impact ...de la maladie ;
– identifier ses qualités et ses forces ;
– développer ses stratégies d’adaptation ;
– mieux s’affirmer et exprimer ses besoins.
L’atelier se décline en 3 sessions de 2h30 espacées d’une ou deux semaines. Les groupes sont constitués de 8 participants maximum et sont animés par 2 psychologues.
Outils Temps d’échanges, brainstormings, jeux de rôles, « mur d’humeurs », colonnes de Beck, échelle de Rosenberg.
Évaluation par questionnaire de satisfaction.
En 2022 et 2023, 83 patients ont choisi cet atelier. Sept ateliers d’ETP et e-ETP ont été réalisés et ont concerné 34 patients.
L’atelier a répondu aux attentes de 92 % des participants, tous ont été satisfaits voire très satisfaits (Fig. 1 et Fig. 2).
Les attentes des participants concernaient autant l’acquisition d’outils et de pistes de réflexion, que les échanges avec des pairs. Le point clé le plus retenu a été la nécessité de s’autoriser à demander de l’aide. Les échanges et les jeux de rôles sur l’affirmation de soi, deux ressources inhérentes au dispositif groupal, ont été particulièrement appréciés et mériteraient d’être développés lors d’une 4e session.
Un atelier EDS est essentiel dans un programme ETP en neurologie : ces pathologies demandent aux patients de puiser dans leurs ressources, de s’adapter, d’écouter leurs besoins et de les exprimer. Les échanges entre pairs contribuent également à apaiser leur sentiment de solitude.
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