title: Off-line memory consolidation impairments in multiple sclerosis patients receiving high-dose corticosteroid treatment mirror consolidation impairments in depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sleep supports the consolidation of procedural memory, however patients with major depression show impaired motor memory performance after a night of sleep. It was hypothesized that this impairment is related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction. We tested if high-dose administration of corticosteroids impairs off-line motor memory consolidation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine patients with MS receiving high-dose corticosteroid therapy (methylprednisolone) and nine MS patients receiving alternative therapy (mitoxantrone) were assessed using a sequential finger tapping task before and after a night with polysomnography. In addition, nine patients with major depression (MD) receiving antidepressants and nine healthy controls were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the four groups did not differ in practice-dependent learning, healthy subjects and MS patients receiving mitoxantrone showed markedly overnight-improvements in tapping performance of 17% and 24% while MS patients receiving high-dose corticosteroid therapy and depressed patients showed -9% and -10% overnight decrease. MS patients with and without corticosteroid therapy did not differ in their amount of REM sleep, nor did MD patients and healthy controls. In addition, we did not find any correlation between REM sleep and memory consolidation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that a strong intervention into the HPA system like in MS high-dose corticosteroid therapy impairs off-line motor memory consolidation comparable to the impairments seen in depressed patients. We propose therefore that depression-related changes in plasma corticosteroid levels rather than in sleep per se underlie off-line memory consolidation impairments in MD.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany. dresler@mpipsykl.mpg.de
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dresler
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Genzel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kluge
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schüssler
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenhagen
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steiger
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D008942:Mitoxantrone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D008942:Mitoxantrone; D008775:Methylprednisolone