Objectively measured sedentary behavior and brain volumetric measurements in multiple sclerosis

Aim: This study examined the association between sedentary behavior patterns and whole brain gray matter (GM), white matter (WM) and subcortical GM structures in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: 36 persons with MS wore an accelerometer and underwent a brain MRI. Whole brain GM and WM and deep GM structures were calculated from 3D T1-weighted structural brain images. Results: There were statistically significant (p < 0.01) and moderate or large associations between number of sedentary bouts/day and brain volume measures. The primary result was a consistent negative association between number of sedentary bouts/day and whole brain GM and WM, and deep GM structures. Conclusion: We provide novel evidence for decreased brain volume as a correlate of a sedentary behavior pattern in persons with MS.