Screening of Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study in Georgia

Cognitive impairment (CI) is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS), with a significant negative impact on the occupational and social functioning of patients. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of CI among MS patients in Georgia. Sixty-eight patients with MS attending a neurology outpatient clinic in Tbilisi, Georgia, were enrolled in the study. Cognitive status was evaluated using two screening tools: the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. The overall prevalence of CI in our MS patients was 47%. We found negative associations between cognitive test results and patients’ age, disability status, and depression. Lower education, higher scores on the Expanded Disability Status Scale, and the progressive course of MS were the main predictors of CI in the logistic regression analysis. This is the first study in Georgia to evaluate CI in patients with MS. The prevalence of CI in our study was comparable with those reported in other countries; however, we found greater impairment of the executive system compared to other cognitive domains. In our study, patients who were on continuous DMT showed significantly better performance on the cognitive tests used, indicating possible favorable effect of immunomodulatory drugs on cognition.

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CogniSoft: A Platform for the Automation of Cognitive Assessment and Rehabilitation of Multiple Sclerosis

Computers ◽

10.3390/computers9040093 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 93

Author(s):

Dessislava Petrova-Antonova ◽

Ivaylo Spasov ◽

Yanita Petkova ◽

Ilina Manova ◽

Sylvia Ilieva

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽

Large Scale ◽

Cognitive Disorders ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Machine Learning Algorithms ◽

Cognitive Test ◽

Economic Research ◽

Medical Software

Cognitive disorders remain a major cause of disability in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). They lead to unemployment, the need for daily assistance, and a poor quality of life. The understanding of the origin, factors, processes, and consequences of cognitive disfunction is key to its prevention, early diagnosis, and rehabilitation. The neuropsychological testing and continuous monitoring of cognitive status as part of the overall evaluation of patients with MS in parallel with clinical and paraclinical examinations are highly recommended. In order to improve health and disease understanding, a close linkage between fundamental, clinical, epidemiological, and socio-economic research is required. The effective sharing of data, standardized data processing, and the linkage of such data with large-scale cohort studies is a prerequisite for the translation of research findings into the clinical setting. In this context, this paper proposes a software platform for the cognitive assessment and rehabilitation of patients with MS called CogniSoft. The platform automates the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) test and diagnostic tests for the evaluation of memory and executive functions based on the nature of Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS), as well as implementing a set of games for cognitive rehabilitation based on BICAMS. The software architecture, core modules, and technologies used for their implementation are presented. Special attention is given to the development of cognitive tests for diagnostics and rehabilitation. Their automation enables better perception, avoids bias as a result of conducting the classic paper tests of various neurophysiologists, provides easy administration, and allows data collection in a uniform manner, which further enables analysis using statistical and machine learning algorithms. The CogniSoft platform is registered as medical software by the Bulgarian Drug Agency and it is currently deployed in the Neurological Clinic of the National Hospital of Cardiology in Sofia, Bulgaria. The first experiments prove the feasibility of the platform, showing that it saves time and financial resources while providing subjectivity in the interpretation of the cognitive test results.

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Detecting Subtle Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment

Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques ◽

10.1017/cjn.2020.97 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 620-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kim Charest ◽

Alexandra Tremblay ◽

Roxane Langlois ◽

Élaine Roger ◽

Pierre Duquette ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Deficits ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Montreal Cognitive Assessment ◽

Rapid Screening ◽

Cognitive Complaints ◽

Subjective Complaints ◽

Subjective Cognitive Complaints

ABSTRACT:Background:Although cognitive deficits are frequent in multiple sclerosis (MS), screening for them with tools such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test is usually not performed unless there is a subjective complaint. The Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Questionnaire (MSNQ) is among the instruments most commonly used to assess self-reported subjective complaints in MS. Nonetheless, it does not always accurately reflect cognitive status; many patients with cognitive deficits thus fail to receive appropriate referral for detailed neuropsychological evaluation. The objective of this study was to examine the validity of the MoCA test to detect the presence of objective cognitive deficits among patients with MS without subjective complaints using the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS) as the gold standard.Methods:The sample included 98 patients who were recruited from a university hospital MS clinic. The MSNQ was used to select patients without subjective cognitive complaints who also completed the MACFIMS, MoCA test and MSQOL-54.Results:23.5% of patients without subjective cognitive complaints had evidence of objective cognitive impairment on the MACFIMS (z score < -1.5 on two or more tests). The MoCA had a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 68% for detecting objective cognitive impairment in this patient population using a cut-off score of 27.Conclusion:A significant proportion of patients without self-reported cognitive impairment do have evidence of cognitive deficits on more exhaustive cognitive assessment. The MoCA is a rapid screening test that could be used to target patients for whom a more detailed neuropsychological assessment would be recommended.

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Clean intermittent self-catheterization in persons with multiple sclerosis: the influence of cognitive dysfunction

Multiple Sclerosis Journal ◽

10.1177/1352458508098599 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 379-384 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

L Vahter ◽

I Zopp ◽

M Kreegipuu ◽

P Kool ◽

T Talvik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Dysfunction ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Cognitive Test ◽

Disability Status ◽

Bladder Management ◽

Edss Score ◽

Time Required

Background Bladder problems are very common in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of PwMS to learn clean intermittent self-catheterization (CISC). Methods The physical disability of 23 PwMS was evaluated with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and cognitive status was evaluated with the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRB-N). CISC was taught by the same continence advisor who was blinded to the cognitive test results. The ability to learn CISC was evaluated immediately after sessions and 3 months later. Twenty-three consecutive PwMS participated in the study. Results In all, 87% (20/23) of the PwMS successfully finished CISC training. The number of lessons needed to acquire CISC skills differed significantly depending on the EDSS (Spearman r = 0.682, P = 0.0003), but the total cognitive decline subscore did not influence the ability to learn CISC. Only 13% (3/23) of the PwMS failed to learn CISC. The ability to learn CISC depended on the number of lessons needed to acquire CISC ( r = −0.499, P = 0.0313) and the EDSS score ( r = −0.433, P = 0.0390) but not on the course of the disease ( r = 0.125, P = 0.5696) or on cognitive decline ( r = −0.311, P = 0.1480). After 3 months of follow-up, 30% (6/20) of the PwMS had ceased performing CISC. A follow-up indicated no statistically significant correlations among any of the subscores of the cognitive test battery, the EDSS score, the course of the disease, and the time required to learn CISC and effective bladder management. Conclusions Our study thus confirmed that most (87%) PwMS were able to learn CISC in spite of cognitive dysfunction and therefore to improve their quality of life.

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Identifying Mild Cognitive Impairment by Using Human–Robot Interactions

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-215015 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Yu-Ling Chang ◽

Di-Hua Luo ◽

Tsung-Ren Huang ◽

Joshua O.S. Goh ◽

Su-Ling Yeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Executive Function ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Prospective Memory ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Cognitive Test ◽

Cognitive Tests

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is common in older adults, is a risk factor for dementia. Rapidly growing health care demand associated with global population aging has spurred the development of new digital tools for the assessment of cognitive performance in older adults. Objective: To overcome methodological drawbacks of previous studies (e.g., use of potentially imprecise screening tools that fail to include patients with MCI), this study investigated the feasibility of assessing multiple cognitive functions in older adults with and without MCI by using a social robot. Methods: This study included 33 older adults with or without MCI and 33 healthy young adults. We examined the utility of five robotic cognitive tests focused on language, episodic memory, prospective memory, and aspects of executive function to classify age-associated cognitive changes versus MCI. Standardized neuropsychological tests were collected to validate robotic test performance. Results: The assessment was well received by all participants. Robotic tests assessing delayed episodic memory, prospective memory, and aspects of executive function were optimal for differentiating between older adults with and without MCI, whereas the global cognitive test (i.e., Mini-Mental State Examination) failed to capture such subtle cognitive differences among older adults. Furthermore, robot-administered tests demonstrated sound ability to predict the results of standardized cognitive tests, even after adjustment for demographic variables and global cognitive status. Conclusion: Overall, our results suggest the human–robot interaction approach is feasible for MCI identification. Incorporating additional cognitive test measures might improve the stability and reliability of such robot-assisted MCI diagnoses.

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Validation of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) in the Russian Population

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617721000722 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Evgeniy Evdoshenko ◽

Kristina Laskova ◽

Maria Shumilina ◽

Ekaterina Nekrashevich ◽

Maria Andreeva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Russian Population ◽

Cognitive Domain ◽

Control Group ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Valid Instrument ◽

Test Retest Reliability

Abstract Objective: Cognitive dysfunction is common in multiple sclerosis (MS). The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery of tests has been suggested as a measure for the evaluation of the cognitive status of MS patients. This study aims to validate the BICAMS battery in the Russian population of MS patients. Methods: Age- and sex-matched MS patients (n = 98) and healthy individuals (n = 86) were included in the study. Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), California Verbal Learning Test, 2nd edition (CVLT-II) and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test – Revised (BVMT-R) were administered to all participants. The battery was readministered 1 month later to 44 MS patients to investigate the test–retest reliability. Results: MS patients exhibited a significantly lower performance in testing with BICAMS than the control group in all three neuropsychological tests. Test–retest reliability was good for SDMT and CVLT-II (r = .82 and r = .85, respectively) and adequate for BVMT-R (r = .70). Based on the proposed criterion for impairment as z score below 1.5 SD the mean of the control group, we found that 34/98 (35%) of MS patients were found impaired at least in one cognitive domain. Patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≥3.5 performed significantly worse than controls (SDMT, p < .0001; CVLT–II, p = .03; BVMT-R, p = .0004), while those with ≤3.0 scores did not. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the BICAMS battery is a valid instrument to identify cognitive impairment in MS patients and it can be recommended for routine use in the Russian Federation.

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Psychometric Properties of the Persian Montreal Cognitive Assessment in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra ◽

10.1159/000514673 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 51-57

Author(s):

Vahid Rashedi ◽

Mahshid Foroughan ◽

Negin Chehrehnegar

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Alzheimer Disease ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Screening Test ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Montreal Cognitive Assessment ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Persian Version

Introduction: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a cognitive screening test widely used in clinical practice and suited for the detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The aims were to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian MoCA as a screening test for mild cognitive dysfunction in Iranian older adults and to assess its accuracy as a screening test for MCI and mild Alzheimer disease (AD). Method: One hundred twenty elderly with a mean age of 73.52 ± 7.46 years participated in this study. Twenty-one subjects had mild AD (MMSE score ≤21), 40 had MCI, and 59 were cognitively healthy controls. All the participants were administered the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to evaluate their general cognitive status. Also, a battery of comprehensive neuropsychological assessments was administered. Results: The mean score on the Persian version of the MoCA and the MMSE were 19.32 and 25.62 for MCI and 13.71 and 22.14 for AD patients, respectively. Using an optimal cutoff score of 22 the MoCA test detected 86% of MCI subjects, whereas the MMSE with a cutoff score of 26 detected 72% of MCI subjects. In AD patients with a cutoff score of 20, the MoCA had a sensitivity of 94% whereas the MMSE detected 61%. The specificity of the MoCA was 70% and 90% for MCI and AD, respectively. Discussion: The results of this study show that the Persian version of the MoCA is a reliable screening tool for detection of MCI and early stage AD. The MoCA is more sensitive than the MMSE in screening for cognitive impairment, proving it to be superior to MMSE in detecting MCI and mild AD.

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Screening tools for the identification of dementia for adults with age-related acquired hearing or vision impairment: a scoping review

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s104161021700120x ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 29 (11) ◽

pp. 1771-1784 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Annie Pye ◽

Anna Pavlina Charalambous ◽

Iracema Leroi ◽

Chrysoulla Thodi ◽

Piers Dawes

Keyword(s):

Hearing Impairment ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Sensory Modality ◽

Vision Impairment ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Screening Tests ◽

Cognitive Screening ◽

Age Related

ABSTRACTBackground:Cognitive screening tests frequently rely on items being correctly heard or seen. We aimed to identify, describe, and evaluate the adaptation, validity, and availability of cognitive screening and assessment tools for dementia which have been developed or adapted for adults with acquired hearing and/or vision impairment.Method:Electronic databases were searched using subject terms “hearing disorders” OR “vision disorders” AND “cognitive assessment,” supplemented by exploring reference lists of included papers and via consultation with health professionals to identify additional literature.Results:1,551 papers were identified, of which 13 met inclusion criteria. Four papers related to tests adapted for hearing impairment; 11 papers related to tests adapted for vision impairment. Frequently adapted tests were the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA). Adaptations for hearing impairment involved deleting or creating written versions for hearing-dependent items. Adaptations for vision impairment involved deleting vision-dependent items or spoken/tactile versions of visual tasks. No study reported validity of the test in relation to detection of dementia in people with hearing/vision impairment. Item deletion had a negative impact on the psychometric properties of the test.Conclusions:While attempts have been made to adapt cognitive tests for people with acquired hearing and/or vision impairment, the primary limitation of these adaptations is that their validity in accurately detecting dementia among those with acquired hearing or vision impairment is yet to be established. It is likely that the sensitivity and specificity of the adapted versions are poorer than the original, especially if the adaptation involved item deletion. One solution would involve item substitution in an alternative sensory modality followed by re-validation of the adapted test.

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Brain Function Assessment of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis in the Expanded Disability Status Scale

International Journal of MS Care ◽

10.7224/1537-2073.2018-084 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 31-35

Author(s):

Ricardo N. Alonso ◽

Maria B. Eizaguirre ◽

Berenice Silva ◽

Maria C. Pita ◽

Cecilia Yastremiz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Brain Function ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Functional System ◽

Expanded Disability Status Scale ◽

Disability Status ◽

Before And After ◽

Survey Results ◽

Edss Score ◽

The Brain

Abstract Background: There is no consensus regarding assessment of the brain function functional system (FS) of the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We sought to describe brain function FS assessment criteria used by Argentinian neurologists and, based on the results, propose redefined brain function FS criteria. Methods: A structured survey was conducted of 113 Argentinian neurologists. Considering the survey results, we decided to redefine the brain function FS scoring using the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery. For 120 adult patients with MS we calculated the EDSS score without brain function FS (basal EDSS) and compared it with the EDSS score after adding the modified brain function FS (modified EDSS). Results: Of the 93 neurologists analyzed, 14% reported that they did not assess brain function FS, 35% reported that they assessed it through a nonstructured interview, and the remainder used other tools. Significant differences were found in EDSS scores before and after the inclusion of BICAMS (P < .001). Redefining the brain function FS, 15% of patients modified their basal EDSS score, as did 20% of those with a score of 4.0 or less. Conclusions: The survey results show the importance of unifying the brain function FS scoring criteria in calculating the EDSS score. While allowing more consistent brain function FS scoring, including the modified brain function FS led to a change in EDSS score in many patients, particularly in the lower range of EDSS scores. Considering the relevance of the EDSS for monitoring patients with MS and for decision making, it is imperative to further validate the modified brain function FS scoring.

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Refining sleep measurement using the Motionwatch8©: How many days of monitoring do we need to get reliable estimates of sleep quality for older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment?

10.21203/rs.2.20676/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ryan S. Falck ◽

Cindy K. Barha ◽

Patrick C.Y. Chan ◽

Teresa Liu-Ambrose

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Older Adult ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Field Methods ◽

Sleep Measurement ◽

Reliability Coefficients

Abstract Background Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transition stage between healthy cognition and dementia, and is linked to poorer sleep. Objective, reliable, and low-burden field methods to measure older adult sleep are also currently needed. The MotionWatch8© (MW8) wrist-worn actigraph provides estimates of sleep with 14 days of observation; however, there may be underlying differences in the reliability of sleep estimates based on MCI status. We therefore investigated the number of MW8 monitoring days required to estimate sleep in older adults with MCI and without. Methods Older adults (55+ years; N=151) wore the MW8 for ≥14 days. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment was used to categorize participants with probable MCI (scores of <26/30) and participants without MCI (≥26/30). We calculated intra-class reliability coefficients for 1-, 7-, and 14-days of wear-time, and performed Spearman-Brown predictions to determine the number of monitoring days needed for an ICC=0.80. Results Older adults with MCI were older ( p <0.01), more likely to be male ( p =0.03), and had shorter sleep duration ( p <0.01). Spearman-Brown analyses indicated that the number of monitoring days needed for an ICC=0.80 in older adults with probable MCI was 7 days for sleep duration, 4 days for fragmentation, and 4 days for efficiency; adults without MCI required 4 days for duration, 6 days for fragmentation, and 3 days for efficiency. Conclusions Our results indicate that while the reliability of MW8 estimates of sleep differs based on cognitive status, 7 days of MW8 monitoring provides reliable estimates of sleep for adults with MCI and those without.

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Cognitive assessment tools in Asia: a systematic review

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610215001635 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 189-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Roshaslina Rosli ◽

Maw Pin Tan ◽

William Keith Gray ◽

Pathmawathi Subramanian ◽

Ai-Vyrn Chin

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

De Novo ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Future Research ◽

Asian Populations ◽

Keywords Dementia

ABSTRACTBackground:The prevalence of dementia is increasing in Asia than in any other continent. However, the applicability of the existing cognitive assessment tools is limited by differences in educational and cultural factors in this setting. We conducted a systematic review of published studies on cognitive assessments tools in Asia. We aimed to rationalize the results of available studies which evaluated the validity of cognitive tools for the detection of cognitive impairment and to identify the issues surrounding the available cognitive impairment screening tools in Asia.Methods:Five electronic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct) were searched using the keywords dementia Or Alzheimer Or cognitive impairment And screen Or measure Or test Or tool Or instrument Or assessment, and 2,381 articles were obtained.Results:Thirty-eight articles, evaluating 28 tools in seven Asian languages, were included. Twenty-nine (76%) of the studies had been conducted in East Asia with only four studies conducted in South Asia and no study from northern, western, or central Asia or Indochina. Local language translations of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were assessed in 15 and six studies respectively. Only three tools (the Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire, the Picture-based Memory Intelligence Scale, and the revised Hasegawa Dementia Screen) were derivedde novofrom Asian populations. These tools were assessed in five studies. Highly variable cut-offs were reported for the MMSE (17–29/30) and MoCA (21–26/30), with 13/19 (68%) of studies reporting educational bias.Conclusions:Few cognitive assessment tools have been validated in Asia, with no published validation studies for many Asian nations and languages. In addition, many available tools display educational bias. Future research should include concerted efforts to develop culturally appropriate tools with minimal educational bias.

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