title: Cognitive impairment and optic nerve axonal loss in patients with clinically isolated syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate cognitive impairment, to assess optical nerve axonal loss, and to determinate whether there is correlation between optical nerve axonal loss and cognition impairment in Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen CIS patients and 15 controls were submitted to Wechsler memory scale, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning, Rey Complex Figure, Paced Auditory Serial Addition, Digit Span, verbal fluency, stroop color, D2, and Digit Symbol tests. CIS patients were evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) (23 eyes).
  
  
  RESULTS
  CIS patients had worse performance in Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) 2 seconds (P=0.009) and fluency tests (P=0.0038). Optical nerve axonal loss was found more frequently in eyes with previous optic neuritis (ON) (85.7%) than in those without previous ON (21.7%) (P=0.0146). There were no significant correlations between optical nerve axonal loss and cognitive findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CIS patients had worse cognitive performance than controls. OCT can detect axonal loss resulting from optical neuritis and subclinical axonal loss in eyes without previous optical neuritis. Optical nerve axonal loss was not correlated with cognition.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Postgraduation Program, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Anhoque
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Biccas-Neto
authors.forename: S C A
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Domingues
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Domingues
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001369:Axons / Q000473:pathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005123:Eye / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology; D057190:Stroop Test; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology; D014888:Wechsler Scales; D055815:Young Adult