title: [The influence of age and illness duration on cognitive impairment in aging patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS)].
abstract: The aim of this study was to dissociate age and duration of illness effects on cognitive impairment of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Cognitive impairment among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is well known. However, few studies were devoted to assess the respective role of disease duration and age on cognitive functions in MS patients. Therefore, two studies were carried out on relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) patients using some tests of the BCcogSEP--a French test battery evaluating cognitive functions in MS. The cognitive deficits of RR-MS patients aged 50 years and over and whose symptoms had been present for more than 20 years were more severe than those of MS patients with a shorter illness duration (less than 10 years) or matched-age control participants. The more impaired cognitive functions were information-processing speed, episodic memory, verbal fluency and attention. On the other hand, cognitive performances of young RR-MS patients were similar to those of older RR-MS patients when all patients had the same illness duration (8 years in this study). Older patients even achieved better performance than younger ones on verbal fluency. This can be partly explained by the theory of cognitive reserve, as reported in previous cognitive aging studies. In RR-MS patients, the influence of illness duration seems to be a predominant factor in the development of cognitive impairment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de neurosciences fonctionnelles et pathologiques (LNFP - EA 4559, Equipe NCA), Université Lille Nord de France, Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France, Service de neurologie, Centre hospitalier de Dunkerque, France.
authors.forename: Eugénie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leclercq
authors.affiliation: Service de neurologie D, Clinique neurologique (EA 2686), CHRU Lille, France.
authors.forename: Maryline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cabaret
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de neurosciences fonctionnelles et pathologiques (LNFP - EA 4559, Equipe NCA), Université Lille Nord de France, Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France.
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guilbert
authors.affiliation: Service de neurologie D, Clinique neurologique (EA 2686), CHRU Lille, France.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jougleux
authors.affiliation: Service de neurologie D, Clinique neurologique (EA 2686), CHRU Lille, France.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vermersch
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de neurosciences fonctionnelles et pathologiques (LNFP - EA 4559, Equipe NCA), Université Lille Nord de France, Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moroni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000150:complications*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: cognitive aging; cognitive reserve; duration of illness; relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis