The brain’s hidden wiring: How race and disease reshape neural networks in MS
A neuroimaging study reveals that Black Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience a more severe disease course than their non-Hispanic white counterparts, even when accounting for brain lesion load and volume. Using 3T-MRI, researchers found that Black patients with MS showed a greater rearrangement of structural and functional connectivity within the sensorimotor and default mode networks—key circuits for physical and cognitive function. Crucially, these patients exhibited a higher degree of “structure–function decoupling” in the sensorimotor network, a disconnect between the brain’s physical wiring and its activity patterns, which trended toward association with increased physical disability.
Why it might matter to you:
This work underscores that neurological disease progression can be influenced by factors beyond traditional imaging biomarkers, highlighting the importance of network-level analyses. For a researcher in neurodevelopmental disorders, it offers a methodological framework for investigating how brain connectivity and its disruption might underpin clinical disparities in other conditions. The findings suggest that therapeutic strategies may need to account for these fundamental differences in neural reorganization across diverse populations.
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