Neuro-Ophthalmic Syndromes and Processing Speed in Multiple Sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Neurology

Background:

• The effect of prior neuro-ophthalmic syndromes on neuropsychological task performance in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients remains unclear.
• Neuro-ophthalmic syndromes can affect visual pathways, potentially influencing cognitive assessments reliant on vision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of a history of neuro-ophthalmic syndromes on vision-based neuropsychological task performance in patients with MS.
• To compare the performance of MS patients with and without a history of neuro-ophthalmic syndromes against healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Two groups of MS participants were assessed: those with a history of neuro-ophthalmic syndromes (Msos+) and those without (Msos-).
• Participants underwent neuropsychological assessment, including the symbol digit modalities test and coding.
• Performance was compared between Msos+, Msos-, and healthy age- and education-matched controls (HC).

Main Results:

• Participants in the Msos+ group demonstrated significantly poorer performance on the symbol digit modalities test compared to both the Msos- (P < 0.03) and HC (P < 0.01) groups.
• The Msos+ group also performed significantly worse on the coding test (P < 0.01) compared to the other groups.
• A history of neuro-ophthalmic syndromes was statistically associated with reduced performance on visual processing speed tasks.

Conclusions:

• A clinical history of neuro-ophthalmic syndromes is linked to diminished performance on visual processing speed tasks in individuals with MS.
• These findings underscore the importance of considering prior visual impairments when evaluating cognitive function in MS.
• Future research should explore the specific mechanisms linking neuro-ophthalmic history to cognitive deficits in MS.