title: The HV3 Score: A New Simple Tool to Suspect Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis in Clinical Practice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) is common even in the early stages of the disease. Our objective was to improve early detection of cognitive impairment in MS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five patients with relapsing remitting (RR) MS and 20 controls were enrolled. Two RRMS groups were defined according to their results at the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Patients with a z score below two standard deviations were considered impaired. We quantified T2 and T1 lesion volumes, and cerebral white and grey matter volumes on a conventional brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Global brain atrophy was evaluated using the third ventricle (V3) width (in mm). An average brain model was built based on controls and compared with the patient's MRI to quantify regional volumetric changes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen (21.3%) patients with RRMS had low PASAT performance. They had a higher Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score (P = 0.019). T2 and T1 lesion volumes, and grey and white matter volumes were the same in both groups. An enlargement of the V3 width was observed in the low performer group (P = 0.044) and V3 width was correlated with the PASAT score (r = -0.271; P = 0.021). A composite score, named HV3, was obtained by adding the EDSS and V3 width (in mm) and correlated with the PASAT (r = -0.325; P = 0.006). A cutoff HV3 score of over 5.5 identified patients with low PASAT performance, with a positive predictive value of 92.5% and an accuracy of 70.1%. Focal atrophy was detected in the supplementary motor area, the cingulate gyrus, the right thalamus, and the inferior parietal lobules of patients with lower PASAT performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specific brain morphological changes, including an enlargement of the V3 width, are associated with low PASAT performance in patients with RRMS. The HV3 score is an additional and complementary tool, accessible in clinical practice, to suspect easily cognitive impairment in patients with RRMS and to better identify patients requiring a complete cognitive assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pasteur Hospital, University of Nice, 30 Avenue de la Voie Romaine, Nice, France ; Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique (INRIA) Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France.
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laffon
authors.affiliation: Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique (INRIA) Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France.
authors.forename: Grégoire
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Malandain
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pasteur Hospital, University of Nice, 30 Avenue de la Voie Romaine, Nice, France.
authors.forename: Heloise
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Joly
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pasteur Hospital, University of Nice, 30 Avenue de la Voie Romaine, Nice, France.
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pasteur Hospital, University of Nice, 30 Avenue de la Voie Romaine, Nice, France.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lebrun
keywords: Brain MRI; Brain atrophy; Cognitive impairment; Multiple sclerosis; V3 width