Other Titles
Cognitive impairment effects on clinical outcomes
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune-mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, is estimated to affect the lives of 2.3 million persons around the world. (National MS Society, 2016). As many as 75% of those with MS may experience some cognitive dysfunction, potentially the most disabling symptom for those with MS and their families (Amato et al., 2013). Difficulties with learning and recalling new information, attention, processing speed, and verbal fluency are the most common cognitive deficits reported by those with MS.
Historically, researchers studying those with MS have found either no relationships or weak relationships between cognitive performance measures (neuropsychological tests) and self-report measures of cognitive function (Strober, Binder, Nikelshpur, Chiaravalloti & DeLuca, 2016). In addition, health care providers may question self-reports of cognitive dysfunction because the accuracy of patients" accounts might be confounded by symptoms such as fatigue and depression. Although some have suggested that the weak correlations between self-report and cognitive performance measures indicate that self-reports are not "accurate" depictions of a person"s cognitive status, an alternative explanation is that performance and perception might reflect different aspects of cognition. Recent studies with fMRI imaging have shown that self-reported deficits in memory are correlated with structural alterations in the hippocampus of persons with MS (Pardini et al., 2014). This suggests that self-reports of cognitive function do indeed reflect structural and functional changes in the brain.
A better understanding of self-reported cognitive function in persons with MS is necessary as these measures are more useful in clinical settings than neuropsychological assessments which require specifically trained personnel and substantial time to administer. Self-report measures can be given in a short period of time and represent the individual"s perception of everyday cognitive function. The Perceived Deficits Questionnaire (PDQ) is one self-report instrument that is used to evaluate cognitive function in persons with MS (Strober et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to assess the cognitive deficits reported by a community-based sample of persons with MS (N=183) and to explore relationships between the PDQ and other measures of cognitive function in persons with MS.
Sigma Membership
Unknown
Lead Author Affiliation
The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Cognitive Deficits, Multiple Sclerosis, Self-Report
Recommended Citation
Stuifbergen, Alexa and Henneghan, Ashley M., "Perceived cognitive deficits in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS)" (2017). INRC (Congress). 13.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2017/presentations_2017/13
Conference Name
28th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Dublin, Ireland
Conference Year
2017
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.
All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Perceived cognitive deficits in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS)
Dublin, Ireland
Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune-mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, is estimated to affect the lives of 2.3 million persons around the world. (National MS Society, 2016). As many as 75% of those with MS may experience some cognitive dysfunction, potentially the most disabling symptom for those with MS and their families (Amato et al., 2013). Difficulties with learning and recalling new information, attention, processing speed, and verbal fluency are the most common cognitive deficits reported by those with MS.
Historically, researchers studying those with MS have found either no relationships or weak relationships between cognitive performance measures (neuropsychological tests) and self-report measures of cognitive function (Strober, Binder, Nikelshpur, Chiaravalloti & DeLuca, 2016). In addition, health care providers may question self-reports of cognitive dysfunction because the accuracy of patients" accounts might be confounded by symptoms such as fatigue and depression. Although some have suggested that the weak correlations between self-report and cognitive performance measures indicate that self-reports are not "accurate" depictions of a person"s cognitive status, an alternative explanation is that performance and perception might reflect different aspects of cognition. Recent studies with fMRI imaging have shown that self-reported deficits in memory are correlated with structural alterations in the hippocampus of persons with MS (Pardini et al., 2014). This suggests that self-reports of cognitive function do indeed reflect structural and functional changes in the brain.
A better understanding of self-reported cognitive function in persons with MS is necessary as these measures are more useful in clinical settings than neuropsychological assessments which require specifically trained personnel and substantial time to administer. Self-report measures can be given in a short period of time and represent the individual"s perception of everyday cognitive function. The Perceived Deficits Questionnaire (PDQ) is one self-report instrument that is used to evaluate cognitive function in persons with MS (Strober et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to assess the cognitive deficits reported by a community-based sample of persons with MS (N=183) and to explore relationships between the PDQ and other measures of cognitive function in persons with MS.