Cortical plasticity in AQP4-positive NMOSD: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study
Aquaporin-4 antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4-NMOSD) is an autoimmune disease characterized by suboptimal recovery from attacks and long-term disability. Experimental data suggest that AQP4 antibodies can disrupt neuroplasticity, a fundamental driver of brain recovery. A well-established method to assess brain LTP is through intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS). This study aimed to explore neuroplasticity in AQP4-NMOSD patients by examining long-term potentiation (LTP) through iTBS. We conducted a proof-of-principle study including 8 patients with AQP4-NMOSD, 8 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and 8 healthy controls (HC) in which iTBS was administered to induce LTP-like effects. iTBS-induced LTP exhibited significant differences among the 3 groups (p: 0.006). Notably, AQP4-NMOSD patients demonstrated impaired plasticity compared to both HC (p = 0.01) and pwMS (p = 0.02). This pilot study provides the first in vivo evidence supporting impaired neuroplasticity in AQP4-NMOSD patients. Impaired cortical plasticity may hinder recovery following attacks suggesting a need for targeted rehabilitation strategies.
Authors
- Diego Centonze (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8390-8545)
- Fioravante Capone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7639-5104)
- Gabriella Musumeci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9403-7389)
- Carla Tortorella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9037-7300)
- Shalom Haggiag (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5569-4121)
- Mariagrazia Rossi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1152-282X)
- Francesco Motolese (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1542-3738)
- Alessandro Cruciani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2631-4185)
- Valeria Pozzilli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0556-0176)
- Serena Ruggieri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5287-3290)
- Vincenzo Di Lazzaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9113-5925)
- Mario Stampanoni Bassi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4664-850X)
- Francesca Santoro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7323-9504)
- Luca Prosperini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3237-6267)
- Fabio Pilato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7248-3916)
- Fabio Buttari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6089-4670)
- Claudio Gasperini
Institutions
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
- Università Campus Bio-Medico (IT)
- Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo (IT)
- Campus Bio Medico University Hospital (IT)
- Carlo Forlanini Hospital (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cerebral Cortex
- Published
- 2024-08-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhae345
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.27