Neuropsychological testing and event-related potentials in the assessment of cognitive performance in the patients with multiple sclerosis--a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to evaluate cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using neuropsychological testing (NT) and auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) with reference to clinical variables, with an attempt to re-assess NT and ERP results after a year.


METHODS
The study comprised 21 patients with MS. ERPs results were compared to age-matched controls. Correlations were searched among ERPs and NT results, duration of MS and disability. NT and ERPs were repeated after a year and their results were compared with the initial ones.


RESULTS
In NT, 90-100% of patients showed impaired memory and attention. Latencies of ERPs were prolonged in patients compared with controls. NT results correlated with clinical variables and N2 parameters. Results of NT, but not ERPs, improved after a year.


CONCLUSIONS
MS patients present with moderate cognitive impairment and ERP abnormalities, with dysfunction of subcortical-prefrontal circuit as their possible background. NT are more useful than ERP in monitoring cognitive performance in MS patients.
Pokryszko-Dragan
Anna
A
Department of Neurology, University of Medicine in Wroclaw, Borowska 213, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland. annapd@interia.pl
Zagrajek
Mieszko
M
Slotwinski
Krzysztof
K
Gruszka
Ewa
E
Bilinska
Małgorzata
M
Podemski
Ryszard
R
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D016899:Interferon-beta; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a