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Does the radiologically isolated syndrome exist? A dual-task cost pilot study
Vincenzo Dattola1, Anna Lisa Logiudice2, Lilla Bonanno2
1IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Via P.le Palermo S.S. 113 - CAP, 98124, Messina, Italy. vincenzo.dattola@gmail.com.
Summary
Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) patients exhibit significant cognitive-motor interference during dual-task balance tests, unlike healthy controls. This dual-task posturography may help detect early demyelinating disease and aid in diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS).
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Cognitive-motor interference, where performing motor and cognitive tasks simultaneously impairs performance, is observed in aging and neurological diseases.
- This interference is documented in multiple sclerosis (MS) but has not been studied in individuals with radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), who have MRI findings suggestive of demyelination without clinical symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cognitive-motor interference in asymptomatic individuals with RIS using dual-task posturography.
- To determine if dual-task posturography can reveal subclinical deficits in RIS patients and potentially aid in early MS diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study involving 10 RIS subjects and 10 age/sex-matched healthy controls.
- Participants performed static posturography under single-task (eyes open) and dual-task conditions (standing while performing two distinct cognitive tasks: semantic and phonemic word list generation).
- Dual-task cost (DTC) for standing balance was calculated and compared between groups.
Main Results:
- RIS subjects demonstrated significantly higher negative DTC compared to healthy controls across multiple posturography measures, including center of pressure (CoP) sway area, ellipse eccentricity, sway path length, and sway velocity (AP and ML axes).
- Healthy controls showed only a statistical trend towards increased sway, failing to reach significance in some trials.
- No substantial differences in cognitive-motor interference were observed between the semantic and phonemic cognitive tasks in the RIS group.
Conclusions:
- Dual-task posturography effectively unmasked cognitive-motor interference in RIS subjects, indicating subclinical neurological deficits.
- This method shows promise for the early detection of demyelinating disease and could serve as a valuable tool in the diagnosis of MS in individuals classified as RIS.
