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Performance on P aced A uditory S erial A ddition T est and cerebral blood flow in multiple sclerosis
Author(s) -
D'haeseleer M.,
Steen C.,
Hoogduin J. M.,
Osch M. J. P.,
Fierens Y.,
Cambron M.,
Koch M. W.,
Keyser J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/ane.12129
Subject(s) - white matter , cerebral blood flow , creatine , paced auditory serial addition test , multiple sclerosis , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , leukoaraiosis , psychology , cardiology , pathology , neuropsychology , neuroscience , radiology , cognition , psychiatry
Background To assess the relationship between performance on the P aced A uditory S erial A ddition T est ( PASAT ) and both cerebral blood flow ( CBF ) and axonal metabolic integrity in normal appearing white matter ( NAWM ) of the centrum semiovale in patients with multiple sclerosis ( MS ). Methods Normal appearing white matter of the centrum semiovale was investigated with magnetic resonance ( MR ) imaging in 28 non‐depressed individuals (18 patients with MS and 10 healthy controls). CBF was assessed with pseudo‐continuous arterial spin labeling. N ‐acetylacetate/creatine ( NAA / C r) ratios (a metabolic axonal marker) were measured using 1 H‐ MR spectroscopy. CBF was also measured in frontoparietal cortices and cerebellar hemispheres. Results In subjects with MS , we found a positive correlation between performance on the PASAT and CBF to the left centrum semiovale ( P = 0.008), but not with the NAA /Cr ratio. There were no correlations between PASAT scores and CBF to the right centrum semiovale, frontoparietal cortices, and cerebellar hemispheres. There was no correlation between PASAT scores and NAA /Cr ratios. Conclusions Our preliminary results suggest that performance on the PASAT in subjects with MS correlates with CBF to the left centrum semiovale, which contains left frontoparietal white matter association tracts involved in information processing speed and working memory.