title: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition performance in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Forty patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) completed the 10 core Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) subtests. Means for age and education were 42.05 years (SD = 9.94) and 14.33 years (SD = 2.40). For all participants, the native language was English. The mean duration of MS diagnosis was 8.17 years (SD = 7.75), and the mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS; Kurtzke, 1983 ) score was 3.73 (SD = 1.41) with a range from 2.0 to 6.5. A control group of healthy individuals with similar demographic characteristics also completed the WAIS-IV and were provided by the test publisher. Compared to controls, patients with MS earned significantly lower subtest and composite scores. The patients' mean scores were consistently in the low-average to average range, and the patterns of performance across groups did not differ significantly, although there was a trend towards higher scores on the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) and lower scores on the Processing Speed Index (PSI). Approximately 78% of patients had actual Full Scale IQs that were significantly lower than preillness, demographically based IQ estimates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Science, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, 64093, USA. ryan@ucmo.edu
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Samuel T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Gontkovsky
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kreiner
authors.forename: Heather A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Tree
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000523:psychology*; D014888:Wechsler Scales