title: Cognitive functioning in Behçet's disease.
abstract: The impact of Behçet's disease on higher cognitive functions is still poorly understood. We proposed (1) to characterize the neuropsychological profile of Behçet's disease patients with (Neuro-BD) and without (BD) neurological manifestations; (2) to identify which clinical, psychopathological, and genetic variables are related to neuropsychological performance; and (3) to explore the association between cognitive functioning and neuroimaging findings in BD patients. Fifteen Neuro-BD and 35 BD patients in the nonactive phase of their illness underwent a neurological examination, performed a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests, and answered the hospital anxiety and depression scale. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*51 genotyping was also performed. Patients' neuropsychological performances were compared to those of healthy demographically matched subjects. Within one month from the testing date, a subset of 20-BD patients underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Fifty-three percent of Neuro-BD and 40% of BD patients were impaired at least on one neuropsychological measure (i.e., digit span-forward). Poorer cognitive functioning in Neuro-BD was associated with parenchymal involvement, whereas in BD it was related to presence of white matter changes in the frontal lobes, history of headache complaints, or higher levels of anxiety and depression. Current prednisone intake had a positive impact on neuropsychological performance. Disease duration, time since onset of neurological manifestations, or presence of HLA-B*51 allele had no significant influence. Our results indicate that Behçet's disease may affect cognitive abilities in the absence of overt neurological symptoms. These findings point to an insidious course of neurological involvement.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurobiology of Human Behavior, Centro Hospitalar do Porto-Hospital de S. António, Porto, Portugal. saracavaco@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cavaco
authors.forename: Ana Martins
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Estér
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.forename: Ernestina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Andreia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bettencourt
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Filomena
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Berta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology; D014936:Word Association Tests
chemical_list: D015235:HLA-B Antigens