Cognitive strategies application of multiple sclerosis patients

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis: "classic" knowledge and recent acquisitions

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system (CNS) disease characterized by inflammation, axonal demyelination, and neurodegeneration, which can have a strong impact on all aspects of the life of the patient. Multiple sclerosis causes motor, sensory, cerebellar, and autonomic dysfunctions, as well as cognitive and psychoemotional impairment. The most frequently compromised cognitive domains are complex attention/information processing, memory, executive and visuospatial functions. Recently, alterations have also been evidenced in complex cognitive functions, such as social cognition, moral judgment, and decision-making. Cognitive impairment is characterized by high variability and can affect work skills, social interactions, coping strategies and more generally the quality of life of patients and their families. With the use of sensitive and easy-to-administer test batteries, an increasingly accurate and early diagnosis is feasible: this allows to determine the effectiveness of possible preventive measures, to predict the future progression of the disease and to improve the quality of life of patients. There is currently limited evidence regarding the efficacy, on cognitive impairment, of disease-modifying therapies. The most promising approach, which has received strong empirical support, is cognitive rehabilitation.

Comparison of Cognitive Rehabilitation versus Donepezil Therapy on Memory Performance, Attention, Quality of Life, and Depression among Multiple Sclerosis Patients

BACKGROUND

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that affects cognitive performance and leads to depression and decreased quality of life (QOL). The current study aims to assess the effects of cognitive rehabilitation versus donepezil therapy on memory, attention, depression, and QOL in MS patients compared to placebo and control groups.

METHODS

Eighty MS patients were randomly selected from parallel randomized trials and divided into four groups: A: cognitive rehabilitation (10 sessions of 120 minutes), B: control (no intervention), C: donepezil (10 mg daily), and D: placebo. Patients received the intervention for three months. They were assessed for cognitive status, depression, and QOL prior to the intervention and immediately after that using abbreviated mental test (AMT), prospective and retrospective memory questionnaire (PRMQ), everyday memory questionnaire (EMQ), digit span, MSQOL-54, and second edition Beck depression inventory (BDI). We compared scores between groups after the intervention, as well as the progression of scores in every single group.

RESULT

s. The cognitive rehabilitation group showed improvement in EMQ, RPMQ, digit span, physical and mental health subscales of MSQOL54, and depression (P < 0.05). We observed the same effect for donepezil except for the digit span test (P = 0.15). Intergroup comparison of scores showed the superiority of cognitive rehabilitation over donepezil in digit span, depression, and mental health scores.

CONCLUSION

Both donepezil and cognitive rehabilitation effectively improve memory performance, attention, depression, and QOL in MS patients. Cognitive rehabilitation is superior altogether. This study is registered with the Iranian registry of clinical trials http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/IRCT2016042227522N1.

Fatigue and depression in multiple sclerosis: pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory condition with a prominent progressive neurodegenerative facet that typically affects young- or middle-aged adults. Although physical disabilities have been in the foreground by being easier to assess, there is an increasing interest in mental disabilities and psychiatric co-morbidities, which have a disproportionally high impact on important outcome measures such as quality of life and occupational disability. In particular, cognitive impairment, depression and mental fatigue, which mutually interact with each other, seem to be of importance in this context. In recent decades, major efforts have been invested in developing more effective disease modulatory treatments. This has resulted in novel therapeutic options and awareness of the importance of early intervention. In comparison, good quality and adequately powered studies on symptomatic treatments of fatigue and psychiatric co-morbidities in MS are rare, and awareness of treatment options is much lower. We here review the existing evidence base for symptomatic treatment of fatigue and depression in MS patients. With regard to fatigue, off-label prescription of alertness improving drugs is common, in spite of all but absent evidence of efficacy. In contrast, a number of smaller studies suggest that physical exercise and fatigue management courses may have some clinical benefit. Very few studies have addressed the efficacy of antidepressants and non-pharmaceutical interventions specifically in MS patients. Therefore, treatment guidelines largely rely on data from non-MS populations. In the future, there is a strong motive to direct additional resources to the study of these important aspects of MS.

Nursing home residents with multiple sclerosis and dementia compared to other multiple sclerosis residents

Cognitive impairment may be a significant symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS), affecting about one half of MS patients in study samples similar to the general MS population. An interesting question is what role dementia, of any aetiology, plays in the cognitive ability of people with MS. The objective of this research is to learn more about nursing home residents with MS and dementia, identifying how they differ from other residents with MS. We developed profiles of MS residents with dementia using the Minimum Data Set and compared these profiles to other residents with MS. Nursing home residents with MS and dementia are admitted to nursing facilities at an older age and seem less likely to have physical impairments but more mood and behaviour problems than other MS residents at admission. A cortical variant of MS may be more prevalent than previously suspected and may be a factor responsible leading to nursing home admission in this subgroup of patients. Further clinical analysis of this subgroup would be necessary to support this contention.

Alteration profile of executive functions in multiple sclerosis

OBJECTIVE

Executive functions (EF) in multiple sclerosis (MS) have been only partially studied, mainly trough the evaluation of subfunctions. The main objective was to analyse the EF alteration profile in a patients with MS sample.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

Case-control study, 100 patients with MS and 30 controls were evaluated by the following tests: Comprehensive Trail Making Test, Stroop Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, picture completion, letter-number sequencing, comprehension and similarities of the WAIS-III scale, phonological and semantic fluency, zoo map test, temporal judgment and behavioural Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX-Q) of the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome. Scores below normative values were considered pathological. Factorial analysis was used to simplify the deficits, and multiple regression and ANOVA statistics were used to analyse the relationship between clinical and cognitive variables.

RESULTS

Seventy-four patients had a recurrent-relapsing course, the mean degree of disability by Expanded disability Status Scale (EDSS) was 2.7 and the mean time of evolution was 9.94 years. Eighty-five per cent presented alterations in 3 or more EF tests and 71% in 5 or more. In the factorial analysis, three groups of functions were involved: (i) cognitive flexibility (ii) inhibition and (iii) abstraction ability. Patients with a progressive course and a high EDSS had a significantly worse performance (P < 0.05). The patients showed a low awareness of their deficit in the DEX-Q.

CONCLUSIONS

Cognitive flexibility, inhibition and abstraction ability were the three components of EF most deficient. The patients with the worst performance were those with progressive forms and a high EDSS.

[Cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis: a review of the literature]

INTRODUCTION

Cognitive impairment is now well-known in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, few rehabilitation interventions are proposed or really efficient.

OBJECTIVES

To present a review of cognitive rehabilitation intervention research conducted in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), regarding different findings about episodic memory, working memory, attention and executive function disorders in MS.

DATA SOURCES

A search of Medline (yield 20 papers) and of PsychInfo (yield 1 article), using combinations of the following terms: cognitive rehabilitation, multiple sclerosis, cognitive therapy, neuropsychological rehabilitation, in the title or in the abstract, from 1960 to March 2010, excluding animal studies.

RESULTS

Episodic memory rehabilitation studies appear to be promising. Programs on working memory, attention and executive functions are in the very early phases.

CONCLUSIONS

Results are encouraging and allow specific recommendations for future research about: (1) inclusion criteria, often not defined, (2) a specific baseline adapted to the program of rehabilitation, (3) a control measure regarding program efficiency and (4) a role for the psychologist (presence and advice during the program).

Cognitive impairments in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis

There is debate in the literature regarding the magnitude, nature, and influence of cognitive impairment in individuals with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis that quantified the overall magnitude of cognitive impairment in individuals with RRMS and identified the domains of cognition and clinical/demographic variables that were moderators of the overall effect. We included 57 studies with 3891 participants that yielded a total of 755 effect sizes. Overall, there was a moderate decline in cognitive functioning in individuals with RRMS compared with healthy controls. Larger effects were observed in cognitive domains of motor functioning, mood status and memory and learning. Regarding demographic and clinical variables, age and gender were moderators of cognitive impairment in all cognitive domains, whereas neurological disability and disease duration primarily moderated performance on tasks assessing memory and learning.

Les troubles cognitifs au cours de la sclérose en plaques

Forty to sixty percent of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have cognitive dysfunction. The frequency of cognitive disturbances according to the clinical form is not completely understood and the natural history of these disorders has not been extensively studied. Cognitive deficits can be detected in early stages of the disease. Their frequency increases from clinically isolated syndromes, to relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive MS. Cognitive abnormalities are frequently observed also in primary progressive MS. The most frequently impaired functions are information processing speed, attention and memory. Dementia is uncommon but may disclose the disease. Diffuse cerebral injury, assessed by magnetic resonance imaging, contributes to cognitive dysfunction in MS, probably by interrupting connecting fibers between neuronal networks involved in these cognitive functions. Compensatory mechanisms may occur at early stages but they are limited by extension of brain injury.

Cognition in the early stage of multiple sclerosis

OBJECTIVE

Cognitive dysfunctions may contribute to limitation of everyday activities of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Recent studies have demonstrated that 45 to 65% of MS-patients are cognitively impaired. The profile of MS-related cognitive dysfunctions varies greatly. It includes memory and learning deficits, attention deficits, executive dysfunctions and visuo-spatial deficits. Most studies of cognition in MS examined patients in later stages, often including MS-patients with marked physical disabilities. Studies of cognitive dysfunctions in the early stage of the disease are rare. This study specifically aimed at evaluating and characterizing cognitive impairments in the early stage of MS, and determining specific patterns of cognitive dysfunction.

METHODS

21 MS patients, experiencing their first neurological symptoms not more than two years previously, and 22 healthy controls were compared. A comprehensive neuropsychological test-battery was used to evaluate MS-related cognition. The battery consisted of memory and learning tests, executive functioning tests and a visuo spatial functioning test. A computerized attention test-battery was also included, which assess accuracy and speed of test responses. In addition depression and intellectual capabilities were assessed.

RESULTS

Compared with healthy controls, MS-patients in the early stage of the disease performed significantly lower on each neuropsychological assessment, except for verbal short-term memory. In particular, MS-patients showed a lengthened reaction time for simple and focused attention (19-38%), impaired non-verbal memory function (RVDLT recognition: 33%) and a planning deficit (24%). Associations between information processing speed and disease course and the employment situation were additionally found. However, patients did not have clinically relevant depression rates on the ADS-L and visuo spatial abilities remain preserved.

CONCLUSION

Our findings revealed discrete cognitive dysfunction in MS-patients within the early stage of the disease.