scholarly journals Cognitive Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis: Educational Level as a Protective Factor

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-342
Author(s):  
Mar Estrada-López ◽  
Sheila García-Martín ◽  
Isabel Cantón-Mayo
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Cognitive Variables ◽  
Cognitive Differences ◽  
Assessment Tasks

Most people with MS experience cognitive deficits especially in attention, memory, information processing, and executive functions, negatively impacting on their quality of life. Cognitive variables of short-term memory, logical memory, and verbal fluency in 65 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were analysed in conjunction with sociodemographic variables such as sex, age, and educational level that might influence disease progression. We found that psychoeducational variables exerted a significant effect on the cognitive status of patients with MS. Thus, when considering sex, age, educational level, and type of MS (SPMS or RRMS), tests for between-subject effects revealed statistically significant differences in all three cognitive variables. In addition, we found that the type of MS and time since onset also generated significant cognitive differences. Our study shows that educational achievement or level is a protective factor against the disease, acting as a source of intellectual enrichment that promotes cognitive reserve in patients with MS. Further longitudinal studies assessing disease progression and prognosis in patients with MS would be useful in order to determine the specific importance of these variables in such patients and in strategies that could enhance their performance in neuropsychological assessment tasks.

scholarly journals Association of Retinal Layer Thickness With Cognition in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. e1018
Author(s):  
Sharon Jean Baetge ◽  
Michael Dietrich ◽  
Melanie Filser ◽  
Alina Renner ◽  
Nathalie Stute ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Layer Thickness ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Retinal Layer ◽  
Inner Plexiform Layer ◽  
Fiber Layer ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Potential Marker

ObjectiveRetinal layer thickness (RLT) measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) is considered a noninvasive, cost-efficient marker of neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to investigate associations of RLT with cognitive performance and its potential as indicator of cognitive status in patients with MS by performing generalized estimating equation (GEE) analyses.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, patients with at least mild signs of cognitive impairment were examined by OCT as well as by the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS and tests assessing attention and executive functions (Trail Making Test [TMT] A and B). Associations of these factors were investigated using GEE models controlling for demographic and disease-related factors and correcting for multiple testing.ResultsA total of 64 patients entered the study. In the final sample (n = 50 [n = 14 excluded due to missing data or drop-outs]; n = 44 relapsing-remitting MS and n = 6 secondary progressive MS, mean Expanded Disability Status Scale score = 2.59 [SD = 1.17], disease duration [median] = 7.34 [interquartile range = 12.1]), 36.0% were cognitively impaired. RLT of the macular retinal nerve fiber layer was associated with performance in TMT-B (β = −0.259). Analyses focusing on the upper and lower tertile of RLT additionally revealed associations between macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer and TMT-B and verbal short-term memory and learning, respectively.ConclusionIn patients with MS, at less advanced disease stages, RLT was especially associated with cognitive flexibility promoting OCT as a potential marker advocating further extensive neuropsychological examination.

Predictive value of clinical and MRI parameters for disease progression in multiple sclerosis – a longitudinal retrospective study

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (S 02) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Hahn ◽  
T Schmidt-Wilcke ◽  
S Prügl ◽  
G Schuierer ◽  
U Bogdahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Predictive Value

Gene Therapy Approaches in an Autoimmune Demyelinating Disease: Multiple Sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 376-385
Author(s):  
Md. A. Islam ◽  
Shoumik Kundu ◽  
Rosline Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Demyelinating Disease ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Mice Model ◽  
Focal Lesions ◽  
Protective Function ◽  
Monocytes And Macrophages ◽  
Specific Symptoms

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common autoimmune demyelinating disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS). It is a multifactorial disease which develops in an immune-mediated way under the influences of both genetic and environmental factors. Demyelination is observed in the brain and spinal cord leading to neuro-axonal damage in patients with MS. Due to the infiltration of different immune cells such as T-cells, B-cells, monocytes and macrophages, focal lesions are observed in MS. Currently available medications treating MS are mainly based on two strategies; i) to ease specific symptoms or ii) to reduce disease progression. However, these medications tend to induce different adverse effects with limited therapeutic efficacy due to the protective function of the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, researchers have been working for the last four decades to discover better solutions by introducing gene therapy approaches in treating MS generally by following three strategies, i) prevention of specific symptoms, ii) halt or reverse disease progression and iii) heal CNS damage by promoting remyelination and axonal repair. In last two decades, there have been some remarkable successes of gene therapy approaches on the experimental mice model of MS - experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) which suggests that it is not far that the gene therapy approaches would start in human subjects ensuring the highest levels of safety and efficacy. In this review, we summarised the gene therapy approaches attempted in different animal models towards treating MS.

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

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.

scholarly journals Frequent neurocognitive deficits after recovery from mild COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel S Woo ◽  
Jakob Malsy ◽  
Jana Pöttgen ◽  
Susan Seddiq Zai ◽  
Friederike Ufer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Telephone Interview ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Complications ◽  
Moderate Disease

Abstract Neuropsychiatric complications associated with coronavirus disease 2019 caused by the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) are increasingly appreciated. While most studies have focussed on severely affected individuals during acute infection, it remains unclear whether mild COVID-19 results in neurocognitive deficits in young patients. Here, we established a screening approach to detect cognitive deficiencies in post-COVID-19 patients. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 18 mostly young patients 20–105 days (median, 85 days) after recovery from mild to moderate disease who visited our outpatient clinic for post-COVID-19 care. Notably, 14 (78%) patients reported sustained mild cognitive deficits and performed worse in the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status screening test for mild cognitive impairment compared to 10 age-matched healthy controls. While short-term memory, attention and concentration were particularly affected by COVID-19, screening results did not correlate with hospitalization, treatment, viremia or acute inflammation. Additionally, Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status scores did not correlate with depressed mood or fatigue. In two severely affected patients, we excluded structural or other inflammatory causes by magnetic resonance imaging, serum and cerebrospinal fluid analyses. Together, our results demonstrate that sustained sub-clinical cognitive impairments might be a common complication after recovery from COVID-19 in young adults, regardless of clinical course that were unmasked by our diagnostic approach.

Predicting Physical Activity and Lifelong Health Through Personal Control and Educational Attainment

2021 ◽  
pp. 003151252110292
Author(s):  
Jinyi Zhou ◽  
Xuesong Ding ◽  
Yuefan Zhai ◽  
Qing Yi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
Proposed Model

Prior studies have shown that physical activity (PA) is strongly associated with lifelong health and well-being. Thus, analyses of relationships among individual differences, PA, education, and health may provide important insights into the sustainability of PA-related personal development efforts. In this longitudinal study, we tested a proposed model in a data set of 12,686 participants from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY 79). We used hierarchical regressions and bootstrapping to test hypotheses concerning the main effect of personal control on lifetime health, the mediating effect of PA, and the moderating effect of educational achievement. We found that individuals’ self-reported PA was positively related to their health status. Additionally, there was a positive mediating effect of self-reported PA on the relationship between personal control and health when the individual’s educational level was high, and there was a negative mediating effect of self-reported PA when an individual’s educational level was low. Based on these results, we provide relevant government policy suggestions for increasing fitness participation, constructing sports facilities, and encouraging educational institutions to include health education in their efforts.

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