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Related Experiment Videos

Screening for cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis using the Symbol digit Modalities Test.

B A Parmenter1, B Weinstock-Guttman, N Garg

  • 1Department of Neurology, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Neurosciences, State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA.

Multiple Sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)
|February 14, 2007
PubMed
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The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) effectively screens for cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS). This brief test identifies patients needing further evaluation for MS-related cognitive dysfunction.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Cognitive impairment is prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS), often undetected in standard neurological exams.
  • There is a need for rapid screening tools to identify MS patients requiring cognitive assessment or intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) as a brief screening tool for cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis patients.
  • To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the SDMT in identifying cognitive impairment within the MS population.

Main Methods:

  • The study included 100 MS patients and 50 healthy controls, matched demographically.
  • Cognitive function was assessed using the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS) battery.
  • Impairment was defined as performing 1.5 standard deviations below controls on two or more MACFIMS tests, excluding the SDMT.

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Main Results:

  • A total SDMT score of 55 or lower demonstrated 72% accuracy in categorizing MS patients.
  • The SDMT achieved a sensitivity of 0.82, specificity of 0.60, positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.71, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.73.
  • These metrics indicate the SDMT's utility in identifying cognitive impairment in MS.

Conclusions:

  • The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is an effective and efficient tool for screening cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.
  • Its performance as a screening instrument is comparable to existing psychometric and questionnaire-based methods.
  • The SDMT can aid clinicians in identifying MS patients who may benefit from comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation.