Conservation of structural brain connectivity in people with multiple sclerosis

In our study, we investigated how multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that affects the central nervous system, impacts brain connectivity and the conservation principle of connectivity in the brain across hemispheres. By analyzing data from 513 MS patients and 208 healthy individuals, we examined if this conservation principle holds and how it changes due to MS. Our findings revealed that both MS patients and healthy individuals exhibit a similar balance between connections within each hemisphere and between hemispheres. We also observed that as cognitive impairment and disability in MS patients increase, interhemispheric connectivity decreases while intrahemispheric connectivity compensates. This suggests that the brain attempts to maintain balance despite the disease's progression, highlighting the adaptability of neural connectivity during the course of MS.