Disorders of the Nervous System
Author: Maria Sol Roman | Email: roman.mariasol@gmail.com
María Sol Román1°2°, Lara Bardoneschi1°2°,Juan Manuel Iglesias Passada2°, Florencia Daniele2°, Matías Herrera Fernández2°, María Eugenia Balbuena3°, María Laura Saladino2°, Fernando Cáceres2°, Sandra Vanotti1°2°
1° University of Buenos Aires, Institute for Psychological Research (IIP), Faculty of Psychology.
2° Institute of Restorative Neurosciences (INERE)
3° Demyelinating Diseases Section, Clinical Hospital, Neurology Division
Introduction: Cognitive flexibility deficits may impact daily functioning in People with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS).
Objective: To determine the percentage of PwMS with cognitive flexibility impairment and study its relationship with demographic, clinical, cognitive variables, and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs).
Methods: A cross-sectional study that included 157 PwMS (RRMS=88%, PPMS=6%, SPMS=6%; 76% women; age: 42.31±09.87 years; disease duration:12.65±8.28 years). Measures: the BICAMS battery (CVLT-I, BVMT-R, and SDMT), Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test 3 (PASAT 3), and Brixton test (Cognitive flexibility). PROMs: BDI-II (depression); FSS (fatigue); MusiQol (Quality of Life, QoL); BVMS (employment) and DEX (dysexecutive symptoms). The total number of Brixton test errors was considered.
Results: 22% of the PwMS showed cognitive flexibility deficits. Brixton performance correlated with education(r=-0.20, p<0.05), BICAMS (CVLT-I: r=-0.32;p<0.001, BVMT-R: r=-0.42;p<0.001 and SDMT: r=-0.38;p<0.001), PASAT 3 (r=-0.43;p<0.001), BDI-II (r=0.17;p<0.05), ADLs (r=-0.20;p<0.05), disease symptoms (r=0.34;p<0.01), sentimental/sexual life (r=-0.21;p<0.05), QoL index (r=-0.21;p<0.005) and total DEX (r=-0.17;p<0.005). Unemployed PwMS made more errors (p<0.01). PASAT 3, BVMT-R, and disease symptoms (MusiQol) were significant predictors of cognitive flexibility (R2:. 0.25; p<0.001). Conclusion: Early assessment and rehabilitation are crucial for improving the QoL in PwMS.