title: Cognitive impairment of Japanese multiple sclerosis patients: Follow-up study using BRB-N assessment tool.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate cognitive function in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), compared with control subjects, and to establish whether decline of cognitive function continues in the patients during remission.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Japanese version of the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological tests (BRB-N), which includes the selective reminding test (SRT), spatial recall test (SPART), symbol digit modalities test (SDMT), paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT), and the word list generation test (WLG), was performed in 34 Japanese patients with MS (8 males, 26 females; mean age, 42 years) and in 37 age- and education-matched healthy controls (20 males, 17 females; mean age, 36 years). BRB-N was conducted at intervals of two years for MS patients who remained in remission, and the cognitive changes were evaluated by comparing the results with those of the initial examination at entry into the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MS patients showed lower BRB-N scores than controls, with high significance in the SRT, SRT-D, SDMT and PASAT tests (p<0.01). The BRB-N scores of the MS patients who remained in remission were not significantly changed for at least 2 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Japanese version of the BRB-N is useful to clarify the nature of cognitive impairment in Japanese MS patients. Based on this neuropsychological assessment, we suggest that working memory and information-processing speed are key deficits. Patients who remained in remission showed little or no further impairment of cognitive functions for at least two years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan. Electronic address: yoshii@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Fumihito
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yoshii
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeharu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiichiro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Marianna University, 2-16-1 Sugao, Miyamae, Kawasaki 216-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Marianna University, 2-16-1 Sugao, Miyamae, Kawasaki 216-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kunika
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Marianna University, 2-16-1 Sugao, Miyamae, Kawasaki 216-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Futaba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara 252-0375, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mochizuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara 252-0375, Japan.
authors.forename: Mieko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogino
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yokohama City University, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuroiwa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological tests (BRB-N); Cognitive dysfunction; Multiple sclerosis