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[Processing speed in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: the role played by the depressive symptoms]
G Lubrini1, J A Perianez, M Rios-Lago
1UAM. Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Espana. genny.lubrini@hotmail.it
Revista De Neurologia
|November 13, 2012
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients show reduced information processing speed. Depressive symptoms in MS patients significantly worsen cognitive performance, particularly in speed-related tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Neurology
- Cognitive Science
Context:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a prevalent condition affecting young adults.
- Information processing speed deficits are common in MS patients.
- The influence of depressive symptoms on cognitive function in MS is not fully understood.
Purpose:
- To investigate the impact of depressive symptoms on the speed of information processing in multiple sclerosis patients.
- To compare cognitive performance in MS patients with and without depressive symptoms against healthy controls.
Summary:
- This study compared 42 MS patients (20 with depressive symptoms, 22 without) and 24 healthy controls on neuropsychological tests measuring information processing speed.
- MS patients without depression performed worse than controls on Stroop and PASAT-BNB tests.
- MS patients with depression showed significantly poorer performance than both controls and MS patients without depression across multiple tests, including SDMT and TMT.
Impact:
- Depressive symptoms significantly exacerbate cognitive deficits in MS patients, particularly affecting information processing speed.
- The findings highlight the critical role of managing depressive symptoms to improve neuropsychological outcomes in MS.
- MS itself impacts processing speed, but depression introduces distinct and more severe cognitive impairments.
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