Contributions
Abstract: P581
Type: Poster
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - Neuropsychology
Background: Cognitive fatigue (CF) can be defined as decreased performance with sustained cognitive effort. While the study of CF is becoming more predominant, no research to date has yet examined the interrelatedness of CF and other associated characteristics of MS and their possible role in predicting CF. The current goal was to examine the interrelatedness of disease severity, fatigue, depression, sleep quality, and CF in multiple sclerosis (MS). Four theoretical models explaining the predictive roles of these variables were evaluated.
Methods: Fifty-eight (58) individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of clinically definite MS were recruited through the MS Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital. CF was measured by examining last third versus first third performance on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). The PASAT and self-report measures of fatigue, depression, and sleep quality were administered as part of a larger neuropsychological battery. Path analysis was used to evaluate each of the proposed models.
Results: CF was correlated only with depression (r = .362, p = .006) and sleep quality (r = .433, p = .001). Sleep quality was the greatest significant independent predictor of CF (β = .433, t(1,55) = 3.53, p < .001), accounting for 17.3 % of the total variance. The best fitting model showed sleep quality as the largest contributor to CF; however depression also played a smaller predictive role. Furthermore, depression emerged as the strongest predictor of sleep quality as well as fatigue. Disease severity only predicted depression in our sample.
Conclusions: Findings indicate that sleep quality is the most significant predictor of CF (as measured by performance break-down) in MS. Sleep quality itself, however, accounted for only 17.3% of the variance in CF suggesting that other variables which were not formally assessed in this sample (ex. anxiety, etc.) may also play a predictive role.
Disclosure:
J.A. Berard: Nothing to disclose
L.A.S. Walker: Nothing to disclose
Abstract: P581
Type: Poster
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - Neuropsychology
Background: Cognitive fatigue (CF) can be defined as decreased performance with sustained cognitive effort. While the study of CF is becoming more predominant, no research to date has yet examined the interrelatedness of CF and other associated characteristics of MS and their possible role in predicting CF. The current goal was to examine the interrelatedness of disease severity, fatigue, depression, sleep quality, and CF in multiple sclerosis (MS). Four theoretical models explaining the predictive roles of these variables were evaluated.
Methods: Fifty-eight (58) individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of clinically definite MS were recruited through the MS Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital. CF was measured by examining last third versus first third performance on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). The PASAT and self-report measures of fatigue, depression, and sleep quality were administered as part of a larger neuropsychological battery. Path analysis was used to evaluate each of the proposed models.
Results: CF was correlated only with depression (r = .362, p = .006) and sleep quality (r = .433, p = .001). Sleep quality was the greatest significant independent predictor of CF (β = .433, t(1,55) = 3.53, p < .001), accounting for 17.3 % of the total variance. The best fitting model showed sleep quality as the largest contributor to CF; however depression also played a smaller predictive role. Furthermore, depression emerged as the strongest predictor of sleep quality as well as fatigue. Disease severity only predicted depression in our sample.
Conclusions: Findings indicate that sleep quality is the most significant predictor of CF (as measured by performance break-down) in MS. Sleep quality itself, however, accounted for only 17.3% of the variance in CF suggesting that other variables which were not formally assessed in this sample (ex. anxiety, etc.) may also play a predictive role.
Disclosure:
J.A. Berard: Nothing to disclose
L.A.S. Walker: Nothing to disclose