Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Care
Cognitive dysfunction is present in up to 70% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and has been reported at all stages and in all subtypes of the disease. These deficits have been reported across a variety of cognitive domains, but are generally under-recognized and incompletely evaluated in rou...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2018.00331/full |
| _version_ | 1811315021130498048 |
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| author | Jack Cotter Nethmi Vithanage Shuna Colville Dawn Lyle Denise Cranley Francesca Cormack Jennifer H. Barnett Jennifer H. Barnett Katy Murray Katy Murray Katy Murray Suvankar Pal Suvankar Pal Suvankar Pal |
| author_facet | Jack Cotter Nethmi Vithanage Shuna Colville Dawn Lyle Denise Cranley Francesca Cormack Jennifer H. Barnett Jennifer H. Barnett Katy Murray Katy Murray Katy Murray Suvankar Pal Suvankar Pal Suvankar Pal |
| author_sort | Jack Cotter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cognitive dysfunction is present in up to 70% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and has been reported at all stages and in all subtypes of the disease. These deficits have been reported across a variety of cognitive domains, but are generally under-recognized and incompletely evaluated in routine clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the spectrum of cognitive impairment in patients with MS presenting to a specialist MS clinic using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), administered on a touchscreen platform. Ninety MS patients completed computerized CANTAB tasks assessing working memory, executive function, processing speed, attention, and episodic memory. Scores were adjusted for age, sex, and level of education and classified as normal or impaired based on comparison with a large normative data pool. We also investigated the impact of clinical and demographic variables which could potentially influence cognitive performance including patient educational level (a proxy for cognitive reserve), disease status (duration, course, and severity of MS), and depression. CANTAB testing detected cognitive impairment in 40 patients (44% of the sample). The most frequently impaired domain was executive function, present in 55% of cognitively impaired individuals. Disease duration and severity were significantly associated with performance across various cognitive domains. Patients with depressive symptoms were also more likely to exhibit impaired processing speed. Results from this study confirm that cognitive impairment is common and occurs across a range of domains among MS patients attending routine clinical visits. CANTAB tasks provide a sensitive and practical approach to cognitive testing in MS patients as part of a holistic patient assessment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:22:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1c3f85169f7749c3a0d827488f0c2530 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:22:45Z |
| publishDate | 2018-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj.art-1c3f85169f7749c3a0d827488f0c25302022-12-22T02:48:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952018-05-01910.3389/fneur.2018.00331366476Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical CareJack Cotter0Nethmi Vithanage1Shuna Colville2Dawn Lyle3Denise Cranley4Francesca Cormack5Jennifer H. Barnett6Jennifer H. Barnett7Katy Murray8Katy Murray9Katy Murray10Suvankar Pal11Suvankar Pal12Suvankar Pal13Cambridge Cognition, Cambridge, United KingdomCollege of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomAnne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomAnne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomAnne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomCambridge Cognition, Cambridge, United KingdomCambridge Cognition, Cambridge, United KingdomDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomAnne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomForth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, United KingdomCentre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomAnne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomForth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, United KingdomCentre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomCognitive dysfunction is present in up to 70% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and has been reported at all stages and in all subtypes of the disease. These deficits have been reported across a variety of cognitive domains, but are generally under-recognized and incompletely evaluated in routine clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the spectrum of cognitive impairment in patients with MS presenting to a specialist MS clinic using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), administered on a touchscreen platform. Ninety MS patients completed computerized CANTAB tasks assessing working memory, executive function, processing speed, attention, and episodic memory. Scores were adjusted for age, sex, and level of education and classified as normal or impaired based on comparison with a large normative data pool. We also investigated the impact of clinical and demographic variables which could potentially influence cognitive performance including patient educational level (a proxy for cognitive reserve), disease status (duration, course, and severity of MS), and depression. CANTAB testing detected cognitive impairment in 40 patients (44% of the sample). The most frequently impaired domain was executive function, present in 55% of cognitively impaired individuals. Disease duration and severity were significantly associated with performance across various cognitive domains. Patients with depressive symptoms were also more likely to exhibit impaired processing speed. Results from this study confirm that cognitive impairment is common and occurs across a range of domains among MS patients attending routine clinical visits. CANTAB tasks provide a sensitive and practical approach to cognitive testing in MS patients as part of a holistic patient assessment.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2018.00331/fullmultiple sclerosiscognitionCambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Batterycomputerized testingneuropsychological assessment |
| spellingShingle | Jack Cotter Nethmi Vithanage Shuna Colville Dawn Lyle Denise Cranley Francesca Cormack Jennifer H. Barnett Jennifer H. Barnett Katy Murray Katy Murray Katy Murray Suvankar Pal Suvankar Pal Suvankar Pal Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Care Frontiers in Neurology multiple sclerosis cognition Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery computerized testing neuropsychological assessment |
| title | Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Care |
| title_full | Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Care |
| title_fullStr | Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Care |
| title_short | Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Care |
| title_sort | investigating domain specific cognitive impairment among patients with multiple sclerosis using touchscreen cognitive testing in routine clinical care |
| topic | multiple sclerosis cognition Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery computerized testing neuropsychological assessment |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2018.00331/full |
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