Validity of the minimal assessment of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis (MACFIMS) in the Italian population.
Cognitive dysfunction involves 40-65 % of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. It can be detected in all MS phenotypes from the early stages of the disease, and it tends to progress over time. Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS) has been proved to be the most sensitive and comprehensive battery available for MS cognitive assessment in the English population. In Italy, MACFIMS applicability is limited in everyday clinical practice since the overall validity of this battery in the Italian MS population has never been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to translate/cross-culturally adapt and validate an Italian version of the MACFIMS. A total of 130 MS patients and 60 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled and evaluated with an Italian version of the MACFIMS. All tests discriminated MS patients from HCs; according to the literature, approximately more than half of MS patients (70.8 %) exhibit cognitive impairment. Principal component analysis showed four distinct components: visual-spatial memory/processing speed, working memory, executive functions and verbal memory. Our study is the first to validate an Italian version of the MACFIMS. Several aspects of validity have been demonstrated: criterion and, partially, construct. Future work will investigate the longitudinal course of neuropsychological dysfunction in Italian MS patients using these measures.
Clinical Psychology Service, University Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro de Portillo 200, Rome, RM, Italy. s.migliore@unicampus.it.|LIRH Foundation, Via dei Mille 41, Rome, Italy. s.migliore@unicampus.it.
Simone
S
Migliore
Department of Neuroscience, Fatebenefratelli Hospital-Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy.
Anna
A
Ghazaryan
Department of Neuroscience, Fatebenefratelli Hospital-Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy.|Neurodegeneration Lab and Department of Imaging, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
Ilaria
I
Simonelli
Department of Neuroscience, Fatebenefratelli Hospital-Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy.|Neurodegeneration Lab and Department of Imaging, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
Patrizio
P
Pasqualetti
Department of Neuroscience, Policlinico "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
Doriana
D
Landi
Department of Neuroscience, Policlinico "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
Maria Giuseppina
MG
Palmieri
Department of Neuroscience, Fatebenefratelli Hospital-Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy.
Filomena
F
Moffa
Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy.
Pasquale
P
Rinaldi
Neurology Unit, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Fabrizio
F
Vernieri
Department of Neuroscience, Fatebenefratelli Hospital-Isola Tiberina, Rome, Italy.
Maria Maddalena
MM
Filippi
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014175:Translating
Memory; Multiple sclerosis; Neuropsychological testing; Processing speed; Validity