OSCR

The constrained brain in multiple sclerosis: Cognitive impairment is related to network-specific coupling of structural and functional connectivity.

Overview

Authors: Marloes DA Bet1, Maureen van Dam2, Tommy AA Broeders3, Aurélie Ruet4, Frederik Barkhof5, Eva MM Strijbis6, Linda Douw7,8, Ismail Koubiyr1, Hanneke E Hulst9, Menno M Schoonheim3
ORCID iDs: Marloes DA Bet, Maureen van Dam, Tommy AA Broeders, Aurélie Ruet, Frederik Barkhof, Eva MM Strijbis, Hanneke E Hulst, Menno M Schoonheim
  1. MS Center Amsterdam, Anatomy & Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  2. MS Center Amsterdam, Anatomy & Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, and Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands
  3. MS Center Amsterdam, Anatomy & Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  4. Neurocentre Magendie, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; Service de neurologie CHU de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
  5. MS Center Amsterdam, Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, UK
  6. MS Center Amsterdam, Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  7. Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  8. Systems & Network Neuroscience, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  9. Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, and Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands
Institutions: Amsterdam Neuroscience (Netherlands); Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands); Université de Bordeaux (France); Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux (France); Neurocentre Magendie (France); University College London (United Kingdom); Leiden University (Netherlands)
Journal: Multiple sclerosis journal - experimental, translational and clinical, volume 12, issue 2, article 20552173261448282
Dates: received 23 December 2025; accepted 17 April 2026; published online 5 June 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY
Identifiers: DOI 10.1177/20552173261448282 · PMID 42253336 · PMCID PMC13241616 · OpenAlex W7163757088
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: dead link
Categories: structural MRI / diffusion (modality), fMRI (modality), human (organism), multiple sclerosis (population)
Methods: Statistics, Smoothing, state filtering, decompositions, Machine learning, Preprocessing, Connectivity, fMRI & imaging
Keywords: Structure-function coupling, multiple sclerosis, magnetic resonance imaging, cognition, connectivity
Topic: Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies (Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Medicine), according to OpenAlex
Funding: ZonMw (09150172010056)
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 36 references in the paper

Abstract

Background: Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) is related to abnormal structural and functional brain network changes. As both modalities have mostly been studied separately, structure connectivity-function coupling (SC-FC) may elucidate how function is constrained by structure.

Objectives: We examine how changes in SC-FC and its dynamics SC-FC (dSC-FC) may underlie MS-related cognitive impairment.

Methods: We classified 266 people with MS (PwMS) as cognitively impaired (CI; z < −2 on ≥2/7 cognitive abilities compared to healthy controls [HC]) or preserved (CP; z > −1.5 on ≥2/7 abilities). Derived from diffusion-weighted and functional magnetic resonance imaging, SC-FC reflected the correlation coefficient between structural and functional connectivity, while dSC-FC reflected its variability. Whole-brain, within-network, and between-network (d)SC-FC were compared between 95 HC, 197 CP, and 69 CI.

Results: Compared to CP and HC, CI showed higher SC-FC for connections extending from the dorsal attention (DAN; p ≤ 0.006) and somatomotor networks (p ≤ 0.024), and higher dSC-FC within the visual network (p ≤ 0.003) and deep grey matter (p ≤ 0.006). SC-FC in connections extending from the DAN predicted CP/CI status in PwMS (β = 0.069, OR = 1.072 [95% CI = 1.009–1.139], p = 0.025).

Conclusions: In MS-related CI, deterioration of structural pathways is paired with loss of functional strength in connections extending from the DAN. This may hinder DAN-mediated stimulus selection, possibly contributing to CI.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Code

No file of the authors' code could be read here: it is described below, and read at its source.

marloesbet/SC-FC

License: none: the authors keep all their rights
State: the link is dead, verified on 28 September 2026
Evidence: found in the paper
Software Heritage: not archived
Found in: the text, “Functional preprocessing”
Not found: README, license file, CITATION.cff, environment file, tests, continuous integration, documentation
Availability: 1 check, the latest on 28 September 2026: the link is dead
  • 28 September 2026: the link is dead
At the source: github.com/marloesbet/SC-FC

Tracing map

Proposed by the machine: these links were found in the paper and verified at the source, without human review. The map will receive a Zenodo DOI once one of the paper's authors has validated it with their ORCID.

What the map holds:

  • 1 repository of the authors' code, each at its verified commit, with its license and how the link was found in the paper;
  • 0 scripts, each with its path and the digest of its content;
  • no match between paragraphs and code yet;
  • neither the text of the paper nor the code itself.

Its JSON (tracing-map.json) is deposited on Zenodo with its DOI once the map is validated.

Data

No dataset and no data link were found in the paper.

Versions

The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.

Version 1, 28 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 10 authors, 5 keywords, 1 funder, 36 references.

Cite

This paper

Bet, M. D., van Dam, M., Broeders, T. A., Ruet, A., Barkhof, F., Strijbis, E. M., Douw, L., Koubiyr, I., Hulst, H. E., & Schoonheim, M. M. (2026). The constrained brain in multiple sclerosis: Cognitive impairment is related to network-specific coupling of structural and functional connectivity. Multiple sclerosis journal - experimental, translational and clinical, 12(2), 20552173261448282. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552173261448282

BibTeX

@article{bet2026constrained,
author = {Bet, Marloes DA and van Dam, Maureen and Broeders, Tommy AA and Ruet, Aurélie and Barkhof, Frederik and Strijbis, Eva MM and Douw, Linda and Koubiyr, Ismail and Hulst, Hanneke E and Schoonheim, Menno M},
title = {{The constrained brain in multiple sclerosis: Cognitive impairment is related to network-specific coupling of structural and functional connectivity}},
journal = {Multiple sclerosis journal - experimental, translational and clinical},
year = {2026},
month = apr,
volume = {12},
number = {2},
pages = {20552173261448282},
publisher = {SAGE Publications},
issn = {2055-2173},
doi = {10.1177/20552173261448282},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/20552173261448282},
pmid = {42253336},
pmcid = {PMC13241616}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Bet, Marloes DA
AU - van Dam, Maureen
AU - Broeders, Tommy AA
AU - Ruet, Aurélie
AU - Barkhof, Frederik
AU - Strijbis, Eva MM
AU - Douw, Linda
AU - Koubiyr, Ismail
AU - Hulst, Hanneke E
AU - Schoonheim, Menno M
TI - The constrained brain in multiple sclerosis: Cognitive impairment is related to network-specific coupling of structural and functional connectivity
T2 - Multiple sclerosis journal - experimental, translational and clinical
J2 - Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/04/01
VL - 12
IS - 2
SP - 20552173261448282
SN - 2055-2173
PB - SAGE Publications
DO - 10.1177/20552173261448282
UR - https://doi.org/10.1177/20552173261448282
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

{
"id": "10.1177/20552173261448282",
"type": "article-journal",
"title": "The constrained brain in multiple sclerosis: Cognitive impairment is related to network-specific coupling of structural and functional connectivity",
"container-title": "Multiple sclerosis journal - experimental, translational and clinical",
"author": [
{
"family": "Bet",
"given": "Marloes DA"
},
{
"family": "van Dam",
"given": "Maureen"
},
{
"family": "Broeders",
"given": "Tommy AA"
},
{
"family": "Ruet",
"given": "Aurélie"
},
{
"family": "Barkhof",
"given": "Frederik"
},
{
"family": "Strijbis",
"given": "Eva MM"
},
{
"family": "Douw",
"given": "Linda"
},
{
"family": "Koubiyr",
"given": "Ismail"
},
{
"family": "Hulst",
"given": "Hanneke E"
},
{
"family": "Schoonheim",
"given": "Menno M"
}
],
"container-title-short": "Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin",
"volume": "12",
"issue": "2",
"page": "20552173261448282",
"DOI": "10.1177/20552173261448282",
"PMID": "42253336",
"PMCID": "PMC13241616",
"ISSN": "2055-2173",
"publisher": "SAGE Publications",
"URL": "https://doi.org/10.1177/20552173261448282",
"language": "en",
"issued": {
"date-parts": [
[
2026,
4,
1
]
]
}
}

The tracing map gets a citation of its own once an author has validated it and it has a DOI.

Similar papers

The papers with a page that share the most with this one: the tools found in their code, their categories, datasets, cited references and authors, the rarest counting most.

[1] doi:10.1002/hbm.70480 [code]
Time-Varying Brain Functional Reconfiguration Patterns Associated With Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis.
Journal: Human brain mapping
In common: multiple sclerosis, structural MRI / diffusion, 4 references, 3 authors
[2] doi:10.1038/s43856-026-01707-2 [code]
Decreased amyloid-related structure-function coupling in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.
Journal: Communications medicine
In common: 3 references, 3 authors
[3] doi:10.1162/netn.a.545 [code]
Structure-function multilayer network integration and cognition in multiple sclerosis.
Journal: Network neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
In common: multiple sclerosis, fMRI, structural MRI / diffusion, 6 references, author Frederik Barkhof
[4] doi:10.1007/s00415-026-13876-0 [code]
Functional connectivity dynamics of monoaminergic circuits related to fatigue in multiple sclerosis.
Journal: Journal of neurology
In common: multiple sclerosis, fMRI, 1 reference, 2 authors
[5] doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcag162 [code]
Disability profiles in progressive multiple sclerosis reflect pathology distribution, independent of clinical phenotype.
Journal: Brain communications
In common: multiple sclerosis, structural MRI / diffusion, 1 reference, author Frederik Barkhof
[6] doi:10.1186/s12883-026-05085-z
The use of routinely collected structural neuroimaging to identify cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.
Journal: BMC neurology
In common: multiple sclerosis, structural MRI / diffusion, 3 references
[7] doi:10.1002/alz.71609
Cortical gray-white matter contrast alterations precede amyloid-β positivity and macrostructural changes in older adults without dementia.
Journal: Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
In common: structural MRI / diffusion, 1 reference, author Frederik Barkhof
[8] doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3003738 [code]
Altered salience network structure-function integration underlies the decline in cognitive flexibility during aging.
Journal: PLoS biology
In common: fMRI, structural MRI / diffusion, 4 references
[9] doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcag196 [code]
Music processing in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease: a functional MRI study.
Journal: Brain communications
In common: fMRI, author Frederik Barkhof
[10] doi:10.7554/elife.103097 [code]
Canonical neurodevelopmental trajectories of structural and functional manifolds.
Journal: eLife
In common: structural MRI / diffusion, 4 references

Contribute

The authors of this paper can claim it, correct its record and validate its tracing map, and the maintainers of its code (its owner, or a public member of its organization) correct what it says of their repository; anyone signed in can ask for its removal. Every request goes to OSCR's own machine, which answers it; your account page follows them.

Sign in with ORCID to claim this paper as one of its authors, correct its record or validate its tracing map: when the paper's metadata lists your ORCID iD, you are recognized at once. Maintainers of its code: sign in with GitHub, then claim the repository on your account page.

Request its removal

To ask OSCR to remove this record, the copies of its authors' scripts or its tracing map, use the removal request page: signed in, you say who you are, what to remove and why, then review and confirm the request. Published rules decide every request (how).

Discussion, reproductions, activity

Discussion: questions and error reports about this paper and its code, from signed-in readers and its authors. It opens with sign-in.

Reproductions: reports from readers who ran the authors' code: what they reproduced, with which environment, commit and data. It opens with sign-in.

Activity: what happens around this paper: new versions of its record, its map's validation, discussions and reproductions. It opens with sign-in.