{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,15]],"date-time":"2026-08-15T04:29:51Z","timestamp":1786768191038,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786579200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003196","name":"Italian Ministry of Health","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003196","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan"},{"name":"Italian Ministry of Education and Research"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Fatigue and balance disorders are common in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), but the neural mechanisms linking them during postural control remain unclear. This cross-sectional study aims to examine associations between fatigue, balance impairment, and task-evoked cortical hemodynamics\/connectivity. Sixteen PwMS (relapsing-remitting MS; EDSS &lt; 3.5) and 19 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. Based on the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), PwMS were classified as fatigued (f_PwMS, MFIS \u2265 38; n = 10) or non-fatigued (nf_PwMS, n = 6). Participants performed five 30 s trials of static stance on foam with eyes closed. fNIRS recorded frontal, temporal, and occipital cortical activity, while stabilometry measured center-of-pressure sway. In PwMS, MFIS showed a trend toward association with sway (r = 0.49; p = 0.06). Sway was higher in f_PwMS than nf_PwMS and HC but not significantly different (ANOVA p = 0.341). Compared with HC, PwMS showed increased bilateral prefrontal and reduced occipital HR. Stratified analyses showed greater HR in f_PwMS versus HC and nf_PwMS in bilateral BA10 and in temporo-parietal regions, with a right-hemisphere predominance. Global coherence did not differ across groups, but exploratory BA10 analysis showed higher prefrontal coherence in f_PwMS than nf_PwMS (p = 0.02). Fatigued PwMS exhibit amplified, right prefrontal and temporo-parietal activation and focal prefrontal hyper-connectivity, consistent with compensatory top\u2013down control to maintain balance.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s26165131","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T17:01:35Z","timestamp":1786640495000},"page":"5131","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Brain Activity and Connectivity in Fatigued People with Multiple Sclerosis During a Static Balance Task: An fNIRS Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4251-1856","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Davide","family":"Cattaneo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, 20148 Milan, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, 20100 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5933-7562","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandro","family":"Torchio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, 20148 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0268-3346","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Augusto","family":"Bonilauri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0622-3320","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chiara","family":"Corrini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, 20148 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4548-1077","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nora E.","family":"Fritz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Care Sciences and Neurology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6145-5274","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca","family":"Baglio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, 20148 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6057-591X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elisa","family":"Gervasoni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, 20148 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"960","DOI":"10.1177\/15459683211046257","article-title":"Distinguishing between Fatigue and Fatigability in Multiple Sclerosis","volume":"35","author":"Enoka","year":"2021","journal-title":"Neurorehabil. 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