Early cognitive impairment in patients with clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of multiple sclerosis

Cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common occurrence and is generally fairly circumscribed. The prevalence of the cognitive deficits usually encountered could vary with the clinical course of the disease. To investigate whether the presence of cognitive impairment may occur in the very early stage of MS, we assessed the cognitive status of a group of 40 patients presenting with a recently diagnosed clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of MS (CISSMS), in comparison with 30 age-, sex-, and educational level-matched healthy control subjects. An extensive battery of neuropsychological tests was used to explore verbal and non-verbal memory, attention, concentration, speed of information processing, language and abstract reasoning. Patients with CISSMS had a significant, frequent (57%), and circumscribed cognitive impairment, focused on memory, speed of information processing, attention and executive functions.     

Longitudinal evaluation of depression and anxiety in patients with clinically isolated syndrome at high risk of developing early multiple sclerosis

We investigated the relationship between emotional changes, brain lesion burden and development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Thirty-seven consecutive patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) were prospectively assessed with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and gadolinium enhanced (Gd+) MRI scans. BDI and STAI were also administered to 36 age-matched controls. Conversion to MS was defined as the occurrence of a clinical relapse. CIS patients were more likely to endorse symptoms of anxiety and depression than controls. Baseline scores for depression and anxiety did not correlate with the total lesion load (i.e., volume of Gd+, T2 and T1 lesions) and the number of Gd+ lesions during the first six months of follow-up. A positive correlation was found between severity of depressive scores and the lesion load in the right temporal region (P = 0.005). After 33+/-6 months of the study entry, patients who had a clinical relapse were more frequently depressed (P = 0.001) than those relapse free. Emotional disturbances are frequently observed in CIS patients and show a tendency towards a normalization in relapse-free patients. The increased rate of depressive symptoms observed in patients who developed MS seems to result from a combination of psychological and organic features. The lesion load in the right temporal region is confirmed as a key area for developing depressive symptoms, even in the early phase of the disease.     

多发性硬化患者认知障碍

目的对MS患者认知情况进行评价,初步探讨MS患者认知障碍的发生频率、特点以及认知障碍对Ms患者生活质量的影响。方法28例复发缓解型多发性硬化患者,所有患者进行神经心理评价、临床功能障碍评价（EDSS）和生活质量评价（ADL和IADL）,观察多发性硬化患者认知障碍发生情况,分析它们与其他临床表现相关关系,及各因素对认知的影响。结果患者中有认知障碍占71．4％（20／28）,其中韦氏成人（或儿童智力）量表测查,全量表智商（FIQ）低于正常（〈90分）为60．7％（17／28）,临床记忆量表检查：记忆商（MQ）低于正常（〈90分）为64．3％（18／28）。有认知障碍与无认知障碍2组间比较：受教育时间差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）回归分析发现EDSS、受教育时间对FIQ的影响以及年龄对MQ的影响有显著性意义。结论MS患者有较高认知功能损害发生率,神经功能缺损与之相关。     

多发性硬化患者的认知功能损害

多发性硬化(multiple sclerosis,MS)是原发性中枢神经系统的炎症性脱髓鞘疾病.国外资料表明45% ～65%的MS患者可合并认知功能损害[1],其中约10%的患者症状可以非常严重.     

多发性硬化患者的认知功能损害

目的研究多发性硬化(multiplesclerosis,MS)患者认知功能损害的形式、特点及相关影响因素,了解认知功能损害对患者生活功能的影响。方法将66例MS患者分为脊髓型和脑/脑脊髓型两组,另外选择健康对照30名,采用神经心理学测验的方法系统评价记忆、语言、信息处理速度、执行功能及整体认知功能,并进行生活功能评定,所有MS患者同时接受头颅及脊髓磁共振成像(MRI)检查。结果神经心理学测试发现,与健康对照组相比,脑/脑脊髓型MS组瞬时记忆和长延迟记忆受损明显(P<0.05),执行功能损害显著(P<0.01),信息处理速度下降(P<0.01)。单纯脊髓型也存在认知功能损害,以执行功能损害及信息处理速度下降为主(P<0.05)。记忆、执行功能等认知功能测验成绩与头颅MRI所见病变相关(r=-0.319～-0.543,P<0.05)。认知功能测验成绩与病程长短、复发次数无明显相关。执行性画钟作业(CLOX)及Stroop测验反应错误数与扩展功能障碍状态量表(EDSS)有相关性(r=-0.325及0.372,P<0.05)。操作性日常生活能力(IADL)及MS生活影响量表(MSIS29)得分与记忆、执行功能等认知测验成绩呈负相关(r=-0.325～-0.537,P<0.05)。结论MS的认知功能损害以记忆、信息处理速度、执行功能为主,整体认知功能及语言功能相对保存。认知功能损害影响患者的生活功能,与病程长短、复发次数无明显相关。     

Cognitive impairment and optic nerve axonal loss in patients with clinically isolated syndrome

Objective

To investigate cognitive impairment, to assess optical nerve axonal loss, and to determinate whether there is correlation between optical nerve axonal loss and cognition impairment in Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS).

Methods

Fifteen CIS patients and 15 controls were submitted to Wechsler memory scale, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning, Rey Complex Figure, Paced Auditory Serial Addition, Digit Span, verbal fluency, stroop color, D2, and Digit Symbol tests. CIS patients were evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) (23 eyes).

Results

CIS patients had worse performance in Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) 2 seconds (P = 0.009) and fluency tests (P = 0.0038). Optical nerve axonal loss was found more frequently in eyes with previous optic neuritis (ON) (85.7%) than in those without previous ON (21.7%) (P = 0.0146). There were no significant correlations between optical nerve axonal loss and cognitive findings.

Conclusions

CIS patients had worse cognitive performance than controls. OCT can detect axonal loss resulting from optical neuritis and subclinical axonal loss in eyes without previous optical neuritis. Optical nerve axonal loss was not correlated with cognition.     

Cognitive dysfunction in patients with clinically isolated syndromes or newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis

Cognitive dysfunction is common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and has been associated with MRI measures of lesion burden and atrophy. Little is known about the prevalence of cognitive impairment in patients with early MS. The associations between cognitive impairment and MRI measures of disease severity early in the disease course are also unclear. This study used a brief battery of cognitive tests to determine the prevalence and pattern of cognitive impairment in patients with clinically isolated syndromes or newly diagnosed MS. The associations between cognitive impairment and MRI measures of disease severity early in the disease course were also examined. Ninety-two patients with clinically isolated syndromes or the diagnosis of MS within the last 3 years participating in the CLIMB study underwent a neurologic examination, neuropsychological evaluation and MRI at 1.5 T. Forty-nine percent of patients were impaired on one or more cognitive measures. There were no significant correlations between cognitive scores and MRI measures of disease severity including total T2 lesion volume, normal appearing white matter volume, grey matter volume, and brain parenchymal fraction. These findings suggest that cognitive impairment may predate the appearance of gross structural abnormalities on MRI and serve as an early marker of disease activity in MS.     

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis

Journal of Neurology - Cognitive dysfunctions are frequent symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and occur in up to 65% of patients. Especially memory, attention, executive and visual constructive...     

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUNd: Cognitive impairment is increasingly being recognized as a common and disabling symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) that contributes to poor quality of life in affected patients. Despite the high prevalence of cognitive impairment in MS, cognitive function is not assessed routinely in clinical practice or in clinical trials. The perception that cognitive assessments are costly, time-consuming, complicated, and difficult to administer and interpret has contributed, at least in part, to the failure to incorporate cognitive testing into standard clinical evaluation of patients with MS. Detailed studies of cognitive impairment in MS are rare and guidelines for the assessment of cognitive function in MS are lacking.TREATMENT: How to manage cognitive decline in MS also requires further study. Licensed disease-modifying drug (DMD) treatments for MS reduce brain lesion development, and associations between brain lesions and cognitive performance have been reported, providing a rationale for DMD treatment of MS-associated cognitive impairment. There is some evidence for cognitive benefits of DMDs, but as few pivotal DMD trials included cognitive assessments, the effects of these agents on cognition are not fully understood and more studies are needed.CONCLUSIONS: It is only through further studies that it will be possible to identify patients with, or at risk of, cognitive impairment and to provide appropriate therapy to limit the effects of this potentially devastating symptom.     

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease of the CNS that is characterised by widespread lesions in the brain and spinal cord. MS results in motor, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric symptoms, all of which can occur independently of one another. The common cognitive symptoms include deficits in complex attention, efficiency of information processing, executive functioning, processing speed, and long-term memory. These deficits detrimentally affect many aspects of daily life, such as the ability to run a household, participate fully in society, and maintain employment—factors that can all affect the overall quality of life of the patient. The increased use of neuroimaging techniques in patients with MS has advanced our understanding of structural and functional changes in the brain that are characteristic of this disease, although much remains to be learned. Moreover, examination of efforts to treat the cognitive deficits in MS is still in the early stages.     

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis

In this article we present a review of problems associated with cognitive dysfunctions in multiple sclerosis (MS). Neuropsychological investigations demonstrated that cognitive dysfunctions are common in MS patients and affect 40-65% of them. Cognitive deficits were found mainly on measures of memory, attention, information-processing speed, executive functions and abstract reasoning. The differences and degree of cognitive dysfunctions in MS are highlighted and usually related to different clinical appearance (clinical course, duration, disability level, treatment type). Furthermore, we have reviewed published correlations between psychopathological dysfunctions and neuroimaging results (mainly MRI techniques and functional imaging). The results of these correlations showed that an important role in cognitive impairment is related to the total lesion area, the severity of the pathological damage of the normal-appearing brain tissue (NABT), and brain atrophy.     

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: For a long time, cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis patients has been considered less important than, for instance, physical disability. This is no longer true because of the crucial role that cognitive deficits play in the good day-to-day adjustment of patients. This review highlights recent progress made in this area. A special focus lies on studies investigating the neural correlates of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis patients as detectable by conventional, quantitative and functional magnetic resonance imaging. RECENT FINDINGS: Measures of information-processing speed appear to be the most robust and sensitive markers of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis patients. Recent studies demonstrate that single, predominantly speed-related cognitive tests may be superior to extensive and time-consuming test batteries in screening overall cognitive decline. Quantitative magnetic-resonance-imaging findings suggest the extent of subtle tissue damage in normal-appearing white and grey matter to correlate best with the severity of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis patients. SUMMARY: From neuropsychological test data, and findings from magnetic resonance imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging it is evident that cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis is not just the result of tissue destruction, but rather a balance between tissue destruction, tissue repair, and adaptive functional reorganization.     

Cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis and mild physical disability

Forty mildly disabled and clinically stable patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), representative of the corresponding population in Northern Holland, with disability Status Scale scores evenly distributed within the 1 to 4 range, were compared with 40 age-, sex-, and education-matched normal controls on a battery of neuropsychological tests. Apart from impairments in perceptual-motor functioning, generally mild deficiencies in intelligence and, specifically, in memory were displayed in the MS group. Attentional processes appeared uncompromised. Increasing fatigue during testing could not account for poor performance. The memory deficits could be attributed to poor initial learning, although there was also evidence suggesting that accelerated forgetting of what had been learned may appear with the progression of MS. Seven patients (17.5%), as compared with none of the controls, were classified by blind clinical judgement of test performance as definitely impaired.