title: Impact of the cognitive status on the memory complaints in MS patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite the evidence of cognitive deficits in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, evaluation of their cognitive integrity is often limited to the use of clinical interviews and questionnaires. However, the consensus in the literature is that these patients under- or overestimate their deficits and repercussions. The objective of this study was to clarify why some patients overestimate while others underestimate their memory deficits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four participants (30 MS, 24 controls) completed the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) and were tested on a battery of neuropsychological tests. Based on the test results, MS patients were categorized as having either mild or moderate/severe cognitive deficits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The moderate/severe MS group differed from the two other groups on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) but did not differ from the control group on the PRMQ. Conversely, the mild MS group did not differ from the control group on the RAVLT but did report significantly more problems than this group on the PRMQ. There was no difference between the two clinical groups on the Depression Index (Beck) but there was a significant correlation (r=.409) between the depression scores and the overestimation of prospective memory problems (PRMQ).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results explain the contradiction in the literature. It is the mild group who overestimates, maybe because they are overly concerned by their deficits, whereas the cognitive impairments of the moderate/severe group lead them to underestimate and may make their self-assessment unreliable. Formal testing or information from a significant other would be advisable.
authors.affiliation: Département de psychologie and Institut des sciences cognitives, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demers
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rouleau
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scherzer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ouellet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jobin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duquette
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology