Key result
Psychological stress elicits a largely blunted autonomic response in MS patients vs controls.
Why the study?
Given the role of the autonomic nervous system in emotional reactivity and regulation, this study examined whether people with MS show altered autonomic responses to emotional or stress-related stimuli compared to controls.
Do people with multiple sclerosis show altered autonomic responses to emotional or stress-related stimuli compared to controls?
Meta-Analysis
Do people with multiple sclerosis show altered autonomic responses to emotional or stress-related stimuli compared to controls?
People with multiple sclerosis exhibit a blunted autonomic physiological response to psychological stress compared to controls, which may serve as a marker of emotional and functional impairment.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Blunted autonomic reactivity may mark impairment in MS; leaves open its value as biomarker or intervention target.
BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system, often accompanied by anxiety and depression exacerbating physical symptoms and reducing quality of life. OBJECTIVES: Given the central role of the autonomic nervous system in emotional reactivity and regulation, this meta-analytic review examined whether people with MS (PwMS) show altered autonomic responses to emotional or stress-related stimuli compared to controls. METHODS: Fourteen studies were included exploring autonomic signals, such as heart rate (HR) variability (HRV), blood pressure, electrodermal activity, and pupil response, during emotional or psychological stress. Quantitative analyses focused on HR, HRV and blood pressure. RESULTS: Between-group analysis (PwMS vs. controls, k = 6) revealed a large reduction in stress-induced autonomic responses in PwMS (d = -1.21), suggesting a blunted physiological response. Qualitative analysis from other autonomic indices confirmed this alteration. Within-group analysis in PwMS showed a moderate increase in autonomic responsiveness (d = 0.71, p = .079), though non-significant, suggesting residual but reduced reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these results reveal attenuated autonomic responses to psychological stress in MS, possibly linked to central lesions affecting stress-regulation networks, and support autonomic reactivity as a potential physiological marker of emotional and functional impairment in MS.
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Ranfaing et al. (2026) conducted a meta-analysis in Multiple sclerosis. Emotional or psychological stress vs. Controls was evaluated on Stress-induced autonomic responses (d = -1.21). Psychological stress elicited a largely reduced autonomic response in people with multiple sclerosis compared to controls (d = -1.21), suggesting blunted physiological reactivity.
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