Cognitive Impairment in Young Multiple Sclerosis and Essential Tremor Patients: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Objective: In multiple sclerosis (MS); memory, attention, information processing speed, and executive function deficits associated with cortical demyelination and atrophy can be seen in the early phases. In essential tremor (ET) cognitive impairment associated with cerebral-thalamocortical pathway dysfunction, which is characterized by visuospatial functions, verbal memory, and executive functions were seen. We aimed to evaluate cognitive impairment in patients with MS and ET, and to compare the features of impairment. Materials and Methods:Thirty patients ET (mean age 27.7±6.8 years), 30 patients with MS (mean age 32.4±6.6 years) and 20 healthy controls (mean age 28.81±7.3 years) were recruited for the study. For assessing cognitive impairment, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was applied to all participants. For grading the disease, the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale was used in the ET group, and the Expanded Disability Status Scale was used in the MS group. Results:The total MoCA mean scores in patients with MS was 22.4±4.34, 25.8±2.7 in patients with ET, and 28.2±1.8 in controls. When we compared the patients with the controls, the patients' mean score was lower than in the controls. Cognitive impairment in patients with MS was more apparent than in patients with ET. Naming, attention, language, and delayed recall subgroups in patients with MS were more affected than in patients with ET. Conclusion:In this present study, we determined cognitive impairment can be seen in both group of patients, and MS can cause more prominent deficit than ET. In addition, our study confirms that cognitive impairment in MS and ET can be detected using the MoCA test. Keywords: Multiple sclerosis, essential tremor, cognitive impairment, Montreal Cognitive Assessment testAmaç: Multipl sklerozda (MS) kortikal demiyelinizasyon ve atrofi ile ilişkili bellek, dikkat, bilgi işleme hızı ve yönetici işlev bozuklukları hastalığın ilk dönemlerinden itibaren görülmektedir. Esansiyel tremorda (ET) ise serebello-talamo-kortikal yol disfonksiyonunu ile viziospasyal fonksiyonlar, verbal hafıza ve yine yürütücü işlevlerin bozulması ile karakterize kognitif etkilenmenin olduğu gösterilmiştir. Çalışmamızda MS ve ET hastalarında kognitif bozukluğunun değerlendirilmesini ve özellikleri açısından karşılaştırılmasını amaçladık. Gereç ve