PubMed · 15066384
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Stefano Baldassi, David Burr, Marisa Carrasco, Miguel Eckstein, Preeti Verghese. 2004. Visual attention.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2004.01.007
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Cognitive decline is frequently observed in multiple sclerosis (MS) and has a major impact on quality of life. Therefore it would be important to offer therapeutic strategies to the patients. In the past, several studies were conducted on pharmacological or cognitive treatment. However, there is currently no specific treatment for cognitive decline and the studies published so far report heterogeneous results. The present paper focuses on the cognitive treatment strategies by reviewing and discussing the few studies that have been carried out in this area. In addition, results of a recently completed fMRI study on the visualization of cognitive training effects will be reported. This review clearly points out that further research in this area is needed to clarify the effects of cognitive intervention. Larger sample sizes and standardized neuropsychological outcome measures as well as standardized training tools are required to allow for comparisons between different studies and to improve our understanding of cognitive decline and the processes of cognitive recovery in MS.
Deficits in memory and attention frequently occur during the course of multiple sclerosis (MS). In patients with MS the severity of cognitive manifestations is not closely related to indices of structural brain damage on both conventional and non conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is conceivable that the ability of the brain to compensate for tissue impairment or loss may contribute to the maintenance of normal performance despite scattered brain lesions. Accordingly, using functional MRI (fMRI), patients with multiple sclerosis showed a greater extent of brain activation during motors tasks than controls. Changes in functional organization of the cerebral cortex have also been reported by fMRI studies comparing the activation patterns during cognitive tasks in patients with MS and in healthy subjects. Differences in patients' selection, activation paradigm, experimental design and MR acquisition parameters make, however, the results obtained from fMRI studies difficult to be compared and may explain, at least partially, some discrepant findings. Nevertheless, fMRI studies provide a new interesting way of understanding how the brain can change its functional organization in response to MS pathology, and might be useful in the study of the effects of either rehabilitation or pharmacological agents on brain plasticity.