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Device-Measured Physical Activity and Cognitive Processing Speed Impairment in a Large Sample of Persons with Multiple Sclerosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2020

Brian M. Sandroff Open the ORCID record for Brian M. Sandroff [Opens in a new window]  and
Robert W. Motl
Brian M. Sandroff*
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
Robert W. Motl
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Brian M. Sandroff, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, SHP 389, 1720 2nd Ave S, Birmingham, AL35294-2172, USA. E-mail: sandroff@uab.edu
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Abstract

Objective:

There is accumulating evidence regarding the beneficial effects of physical activity (PA) on cognitive processing speed in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, one overarching limitation of this research is that researchers have not recruited samples who have the actual problem of being studied (i.e., cognitive processing speed impairment). This study examined associations between device-measured PA and cognitive processing speed in a large sample of persons with MS overall and between those with and without cognitive processing speed impairment.

Method:

Three hundred eighty-five persons with MS underwent the oral Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and wore an accelerometer for 7 days for PA measurement. We divided the overall sample into subsamples with (n = 140) and without (n = 245) cognitive processing speed impairment based on age, sex, and education-adjusted SDMT Z-scores.

Results:

After controlling for age and disability status, higher levels of device-measured PA were significantly associated with faster cognitive processing speed overall, and the association was significantly stronger among persons with MS who presented with cognitive processing speed impairment.

Conclusions:

This examination provides initial cross-sectional support for informing the development of PA interventions as a possible approach for managing MS-related cognitive processing speed impairment. This highlights the importance of developing purposefully designed trials involving PA interventions for targeting cognitive processing speed as a primary end point among persons with MS with impaired cognitive processing speed.

Keywords

Multiple sclerosisPhysical activityCognitionExerciseCognitive processing speedSymbol Digit Modalities Test
Type
Regular Research
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 26 , Issue 8 , September 2020 , pp. 798 - 805
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2020

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