Neurological Tracts and Cognitive Performance in Multiple Sclerosis
Patients
Do longitudinally collected diffusion tensor images of the corpus
callosum and right corticospinal tract explain variation in cognitive
performance (PASAT) test scores?
A hallmark of
multiple sclerosis is the de-myelination of nerves in the brain which
can lead to sporadic compromises in cognitive and physical
performance. A scalar-on-function regression can produce coefficient
functions that indicate locations of neurological tracts that are
heavily weighted in modeling an outcome. Predating my work, there was
a lack of inferential methods and software to test if the functional
effects were significant. Within this application, our methodological
work enabled the confirming scientific finding that the modeling of
the corpus callosum significantly improves the explanation of
cognitive scores and additionally including the right corticospinal
tract does not.