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Indices of Cognitive Dysfunction in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Intra-individual Variability, Processing Speed, and Attention Network Efficiency

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2013

Magdalena Wojtowicz ,
Antonina Omisade  and
John D. Fisk
Magdalena Wojtowicz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Antonina Omisade
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Psychology, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
John D. Fisk*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Psychology, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Departmant of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: John D. Fisk, Department of Psychology, 4066 Abbie J. Lane Building, 5909 Veteran's Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 2E2. E-mail: john.fisk@cdha.nshealth.ca
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Abstract

Impairments in attention and information processing speed are common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and may contribute to impairments of other cognitive abilities. This study examined attentional efficiency, information processing speed and intra-individual variability in response speed using the Attention Network Test-Interactions (ANT-I) in mildy-affected patients with MS. Thirty-one patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 30 age, sex, and education-matched controls completed the ANT-I, as well as the Paced Auditory Serial Attention Test (PASAT), as a standard clinical measure of information processing efficiency. As expected, patients with MS were slower in reaction time performance on the ANT-I and had poorer performance on the PASAT compared to controls. Patients with MS also demonstrated poorer efficiency in their executive control of attention on the ANT-I, suggesting difficulties with top-down allocation of attention. In addition, the MS group demonstrated greater intra-individual variability in the responses to the ANT-I even when their slower overall response time and other factors such as practice were accounted for. Intra-individual variability was found to best predict group membership compared to PASAT scores and other ANT-I scores. These results suggest that intra-individual variability may provide sensitive, unique and important information regarding cognitive functioning in early MS. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–8)

Keywords

Multiple sclerosisCognitionAttention network testAttentionInformation processing speedIntra-individual variability
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 19 , Issue 5 , May 2013 , pp. 551 - 558
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2013

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