Cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis correlate with changes in fronto-subcortical tracts

Abstract

Cognitive function and diffusion tensor imaging were assessed in a group of 12 patients with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (disease duration <or=3 years), and mild clinical disability (expanded disability status scale <or=2), as well as in 12 control subjects. Patients showed impairment in immediate logical memory and delayed recall with the Rey auditory verbal learning test. No significant differences in classical executive tests were observed. In contrast, differences were found for specific executive tests including IOWA Gambling Task, multiple errands test hospital version (MET) and Hotel Task, as well as in Paced-Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Significant correlation was found between PASAT performance and FA measures (r = 0.64, P = 0.03), the apparent diffusion coefficients and the MET (r = 0.72, P = 0.01), as well as in one subtask of Hotel (r = -0.68, P = 0.02). Thus, executive deficits can best be appreciated at early stages of MS when a more specific battery of tests is used for patient evaluation. In this series, test failures observed correlated with changes in fronto-subcortical fiber tracts.

Cognitive and White Matter Tract Differences in MS and Diffuse Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

“…33,43 The results are also consistent with prior studies showing that subjects with MS perform significantly worse than HCs on cognitive tests assessing processing speed, working and visual-spatial processing/memory, sustained attention, and executive function. 21,[44][45][46] The diffuse SLE syndromes such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, headache, and cognitive impairment may be the result of diffuse damage, whereas focal SLE syndromes such as seizures, strokes, and transient ischemic attacks, result in high-attenuation focal lesions. Several studies have shown regionally-specific decreased FA and increased MD in patients with NPSLE compared with HCs.…”

“…20 Executive function was assessed with the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Test. 21 The study was approved by an internal institutional review board, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. All participants were compensated for their time.…”

Rehabilitation of Executive Functions in Patients with Chronic Acquired Brain Injury with Goal Management Training, External Cuing, and Emotional Regulation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Delis et al, 2001). The Hotel Task (Manly et al, 2002) was included to increase ecological validity of test measures, as it mimics real-life multitasking situations, demonstrating acceptable ecological validity, and sensitivity in detecting ED in various disorders (Roca et al, 2008(Roca et al, , 2010Torralva et al, 2012). Similarly, the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA) (Patterson et al, 2001), originally developed for studies of schizophrenia (Patterson, Goldman, McKibbin, Hughs & Jeste, 2001;Mausbach, Harvey, Goldman, Jeste & Patterson, 2007), was included because it targets "reallife" multitasking situations, as subjects role-play with the examiner in three functional domains (communication, finance, and transportation).…”

Cognitively preserved MS patients demonstrate functional differences in processing neutral and emotional faces

“…This ability can be impaired in several neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders like Parkinson's disease (Sprengelmeyer et al 2003), schizophrenia (Hall et al 2004;Johnston et al 2005;Namiki et al 2007;Sachs et al 2004), Huntington's disease (Sprengelmeyer et al 2006) or chronic temporal lobe epilepsy (Meletti et al 2009). Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a multifocal, primarily inflammatory, autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system known to be associated with cognitive impairment (Dineen et al 2009;Patti 2009;Roca et al 2008;Summers et al 2008) and affective disorders (Banati et al 2010;Beatty et al 2003;Mohr and Cox 2001).…”