Changes in Cognitive Performance With Age in Adults With Multiple Sclerosis.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Cognitive Science
• Gerontology

Background:

• Cognitive impairment is a common, yet understudied, consequence of multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Understanding cognitive changes across the lifespan in MS is crucial due to the increasing number of older adults with the condition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-related changes in cognitive function among individuals with multiple sclerosis.
• To correlate cognitive performance with increasing age in the MS population.

Main Methods:

• 129 participants were divided into young, middle-aged, and older adult groups.
• The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) was administered to assess cognitive processing speed, verbal learning, and visuospatial learning/memory.
• Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze cognitive differences across age groups.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in cognitive function were observed across age groups, independent of physical activity, education, or disease duration.
• Older adults showed significantly slower cognitive processing speed compared to younger and middle-aged adults.
• Older and middle-aged adults exhibited poorer visuospatial learning and memory than younger adults, with processing speed and verbal memory more impacted in later adulthood.

Conclusions:

• Older adults with MS exhibit notable cognitive impairments compared to their younger counterparts.
• Further research is needed to identify predictors of cognitive decline in aging individuals with MS.