Rivas-Alonso V, Cáceres J, Ramírez-Benítez E, Solís-Vivanco R. Cognitive impairment and its association with clinical variables in Mexican persons with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.
Mult Scler Relat Disord 2024;
86:105612. [PMID:
38614055 DOI:
10.1016/j.msard.2024.105612]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Cognitive impairment has a substantial impact on the daily function of people living with demyelinating diseases. However, the study of cognitive failures and their association with clinical variables in people suffering from neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) has been scarce, especially in the latin american (Mexican) population at early and middle stages of the disease.
METHOD
We applied the Rao's Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological tests and obtained data of lesion burden through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), expression of AQPQ4-IgG antibodies, and degree of disability in 30 patients with NMOSD and 30 healthy participants as a control group.
RESULTS
About half of the NMOSD patients (47%) showed some degree of cognitive impairment, especially in the executive domain compared to the control group. Executive function scores were positively associated with the degree of physical disability. We found no associations between cognitive dysfunction and disease duration, AQPQ4-IgG antibodies, lesion burden, nor depression.
CONCLUSIONS
Executive functioning impairment is present in NMOSD and may predict the degree of functional disability in patients. Cognitive failures were not associated with immunological or radiological data, which emphasizes the relevance of applying systematic neuropsychological assessments in this clinical population.
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