ASSESSMENT OF LATERALIZATION OF CEREBRAL FUNCTION IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS USING FUNCTIONAL TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER

Abstract

Most patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) initially experience relapses with complete or near-complete recovery interspersed with periods of clinical remission. Although some patients have only minimal symptoms, the majority ultimately develop disability over time as a result of incomplete recovery from relapses and/or conversion to a progressive phase of the disease. Functional recovery in MS is achieved and sustained by repair of damage through remyelination, with resolution of inflammation and functional reorganization. Functional reorganization relies on molecular and cellular mechanisms to induce changes in systems-level functional responses, which are the proximal effectors of sensorimotor activation have become a prominent feature in MS. Evidence across brain systems supports a similar adaptive role for functional reorganization in MS despite widespread pathology—specifically; functional reorganization accompanying recovery in this disease limits the negative effect of damage on behavior.