RT journal article
T1 Predicting Neuropsychological Impairment in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: The Role of Clinical Measures, Treatment, and Neuropsychiatry Symptoms
A1 Lozano Soto, Elena María
A1 Cruz Gómez, Álvaro Javier
A1 Gutiérrez , R
A1 González, M
A1 Sanmartino, Florencia Soledad
A1 Rashid Abdu Rahim López, Raúl
A1 Espinosa Rosso, Raúl
A1 Forero, Lucía
A2 Psicología
K1 Anxiety
K1 Attention
K1 Depression
K1 Executive function
K1 Multiple sclerosis
K1 Verbal fluency
AB Objective: This retrospective observational study aimed to define neuropsychological impairment (NI) profiles and determine the influence of clinical, demographic, and neuropsychiatric measures in specific cognitive domains in a cohort of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients.Methods: Ninety-one RRMS patients underwent a neurological examination and a brief neuropsychological assessment. Patients were classified according to the disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) received (platform or high-efficacy). Differences between groups and multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the predictive value of the assessed measures in cognitive performance.Results: More than two-thirds of the patients showed NI. Specifically, mild to moderate NI was presented in approximately half of the participants. Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT-3) and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) were the most frequently impaired cognitive tests (45.3% and 41.3%, respectively) followed by phonemic verbal fluency (PVF) (27.8%). Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), age, depressive symptoms, and disease duration were the best predictors of SDMT (R2 = .34; p < .01), whereas disease duration, EDSS, and anxiety-state levels predicted PASAT-3 (R2 = .33, p < .01). Educational level, age, EDSS, and depressive symptoms demonstrated the strongest association with PVF (R2 = .31, p < .01).Conclusions: Our results indicated a significant prevalence of NI in RRMS patients that was not dependent on the DMT type. In addition to the meaningful working memory (PASAT-3) and information processing speed (SDMT) impairments found, PVF deficits may also be an important marker of cognitive impairment in RRMS patients. This study supports the relevance of standard clinical measures and reinforces the importance of quantifying clinical and neuropsychiatric symptoms to predict subsequent cognitive performance on a similar multiple sclerosis phenotype and disease stage.
PB Oxford University Press
SN 0887-6177
YR 2021
FD 2021-05-21
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30682
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30682
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 21-sep-2026