Cognitive and White Matter Tract Differences in XXXX and Diffuse @entity12319 .

@entity1 @entity227 @entity73 @entity542 @entity792 @entity15 @entity12319
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: @entity15 and @entity12319 are @entity792 with similar CNS inflammatory and neurodegenerative characteristics. Our aim was to investigate white matter tract changes and their association with cognitive function in @entity1 with @entity15 and those with @entity12319 compared with healthy controls by using diffusion tensor imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty @entity1 with relapsing-remitting @entity15 and 23 @entity1 with @entity12319 matched for disease severity and duration and 43 healthy controls were scanned with 3T MR imaging. The DTI was postprocessed, corrected for lesions, and analyzed with tract-based spatial statistics. Cognitive assessment included examination of processing speed; @entity227 ; and sustained attention and executive function. Differences were considered significant at P < .05. RESULTS: Tract-based spatial statistics analysis revealed significantly decreased fractional anisotropy and increased mean diffusivity in @entity1 with @entity15 compared with healthy controls, decreased fractional anisotropy in @entity1 with @entity15 compared with those with @entity12319 , and an increased mean diffusivity in @entity1 with @entity12319 compared with healthy controls. @entity1 with @entity15 showed decreased fractional anisotropy throughout central WM pathways, including the corpus callosum and the inferior @entity542 compared with those with @entity12319 . Altered cognitive scores in @entity1 with @entity15 were significantly associated with decreased fractional anisotropy and increased mean diffusivity in all examined domains, while in @entity1 with diffuse @entity12319 , only decreased fractional anisotropy in the superior WM pathways showed significant association with executive function. CONCLUSIONS: @entity1 with @entity15 and @entity12319 showed widespread WM tract alterations outside overt lesions, though more severe changes were identified in @entity1 with @entity15 . The WM tract changes were associated with @entity73 in all explored domains only in @entity1 with @entity15 .
