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| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Altered coupling of psychological relaxation and regional volume of brain reward areas in multiple sclerosis |
| Creators Name: | Wakonig, K., Eitel, F., Ritter, K., Hetzer, S., Schmitz-Hübsch, T., Bellmann-Strobl, J., Haynes, J.D., Brandt, A.U., Gold, S.M., Paul, F. and Weygandt, M. |
| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Psychological stress can influence the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), but little is known about neurobiological factors potentially counteracting these effects. OBJECTIVE: To identify gray matter (GM) brain regions related to relaxation after stress exposure in persons with MS (PwMS). METHODS: 36 PwMS and 21 healthy controls (HCs) reported their feeling of relaxation during a mild stress task. These markers were related to regional GM volumes, heart rate, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Relaxation was differentially linked to heart rate in both groups (t = 2.20, p = 0.017), i.e., both markers were only related in HCs. Relaxation was positively linked to depressive symptoms across all participants (t = 1.99, p = 0.045) although this link differed weakly between groups (t = 1.62, p = 0.108). Primarily, the volume in medial temporal gyrus was negatively linked to relaxation in PwMS (t = −5.55, p(family−wise−error(FWE)corrected) = 0.018). A group-specific coupling of relaxation and GM volume was found in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) (t = −4.89, p(FWE) = 0.039). CONCLUSION: PwMS appear unable to integrate peripheral stress signals into their perception of relaxation. Together with the group-specific coupling of relaxation and VMPFC volume, a key area of the brain reward system for valuation of affectively relevant stimuli, this finding suggests a clinically relevant misinterpretation of stress-related affective stimuli in MS. |
| Keywords: | Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmunity, Neuroinflammation, Gray Matter, Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC), Psychological Relaxation, Psychophysiological Stress Responses, Brain Reward System |
| Source: | Frontiers in Neurology |
| ISSN: | 1664-2295 |
| Publisher: | Frontiers Media SA |
| Volume: | 11 |
| Page Range: | 568850 |
| Date: | 6 October 2020 |
| Official Publication: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2020.568850 |
| PubMed: | View item in PubMed |
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