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Screening for multiple sclerosis cognitive impairment using a self-administered 15-item questionnaire
R H B Benedict1, F Munschauer, R Linn
1Department of Neurology, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo School of Medicine, Buffalo, New York, USA. benedict@buffalo.edu
Multiple Sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)
|March 6, 2003
Summary
A new MS Neuropsychological Screening Questionnaire (MSNQ) effectively screens for cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis patients. The informant-report form shows high accuracy in identifying neuropsychological deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
- Neurology
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) often causes neuropsychological impairment.
- Current screening methods are time-consuming and require expert interpretation.
- There is a need for cost-effective and efficient screening tools for MS-related cognitive issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a brief, self-administered screening questionnaire for neuropsychological impairment in MS patients.
- To assess the reliability and accuracy of the MS Neuropsychological Screening Questionnaire (MSNQ).
Main Methods:
- Generated 80 items, reduced to 15 via Rasch analysis to create the MSNQ (patient and informant forms).
- Administered the MSNQ and a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery to 50 MS patients and their caregivers.
- Analyzed reliability (Cronbach's alpha) and correlations between MSNQ scores and objective cognitive tests.
Main Results:
- MSNQ demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.93-0.94).
- The informant form correlated with objective cognitive performance (processing speed, memory) and not depression.
- A cut-off score of 27 on the informant form achieved 83% sensitivity and 97% specificity.
Conclusions:
- The self-administered MSNQ is a reliable tool for screening neuropsychological impairment in MS.
- The informant-report form accurately predicts cognitive deficits in MS patients.
- The MSNQ offers a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional neuropsychological testing.