TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Distraction adds to the cognitive burden in multiple sclerosis
JO  - Multiple Sclerosis: Clinical and Laboratory Research
A1  - Patel, Viral P.
A1  - Zambrana, Aaron
A1  - Walker, Lisa As
A1  - Herrmann, Nathan
A1  - Feinstein, Anthony
SP  - 106
EP  - 113
VL  - 23
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS) causes numerous limitations in activities of daily living. <br><br>OBJECTIVES: To develop an improved method of cognitive assessment in people with MS using novel real-world distracters. <br><br>METHODS: A sample of 99 people with MS and 55 demographically matched healthy controls underwent testing with the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Functioning in Multiple Sclerosis (MACFIMS) and a modified version of the computerized Symbol Digit Modalities Test (c-SDMT). Half of the subjects completed the c-SDMT with built-in real-world distracters and half without. <br><br>RESULTS: The mean time on the c-SDMT was significantly greater in MS subjects than healthy controls for both distracter (p = 0.001) and non-distracter (p < 0.001) versions. Significantly more MS subjects were impaired on the c-SDMT with distracters than the traditional SDMT (47.1% vs 30.3%, p = 0.04). There were no differences in impairment between the c-SDMT with and without distracters (47.1% vs 37.5%, p = 0.34). The distracter version had a sensitivity of 81% and specificity of 88% in detecting global cognitive impairment. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The incorporation of distracters improves the sensitivity of a validated computerized version of the SDMT relative to the non-distracter and traditional versions and offers a quick and easy means of detecting cognitive impairment in people with MS.<br><br>© The Author(s), 2016.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1352-4585
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1352458516641208
ID  - ref1
ER  -