Contributions
Abstract: EP1543
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - Neuropsychology
Background: The ability to generate memory strategies is a relevant factor in episodic memory, nevertheless no memory test has been designed to assess the relationship between executive functions (EF) and memory (MEM) in multiple scleroris (MS).
Goals: To evaluate if the Test of Memory Strategies (TMS) allows to assess the relationship between EF and episodic MEM; and to study the relevance of the level of the organization of the material in MEM performance in MS.
Methods: We selected 49 patients with remitting-relapsing MS and 47 healthy controls (HC) matched in age and educational level. MS sample was assessed with a neuropsychological battery and classified in 3 groups: no cognitive impairment (NCI), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and moderate cognitive impairment (ModCI). TMS was administered to all groups. TMS evaluates incidental and immediate MEM including 5 word lists with increasing external organization presented serially: T1, incidental learning task with no phonemic (PH) or semantic (SEM) relations; T2, explicit learning task with no PH or SEM relations; T3, explicit learning task distributed in two SEM categories randomly presented; T4, explicit learning task distributed in two organized SEM categories; T5, explicit learning task distributed in two organized SEM categories previously announced. We analyse differences for TMS performance among HC and MS groups.
Results: A Group X Level of cognitive impairment ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences (p< 0.001) for T3, T4 and T5; Post-hoc analysis showed that HC obtained better results than all the patients groups. When considering the degree of cognitive impairment (CI) all MS groups presented a significant decrement of correct answers for T5 (p< 0.001); and CI groups obtained significant poorer performance (MCI for T3 and ModCI for T3 and T4, p< 0.01)) than NCI.
Conclusion: We find no incidental memory differences between MS and HC. Analysis according to CI revealed that patients with MCI show difficulties to take benefit from semantic categories when randomly presented but no when they are externally organized, suggesting the presence of early EF symptoms; as cognitive decline progresses, the ability to take benefit from external organization and clues also decreases suggesting the existence of memory problems. We conclude that TMS allows to study relationship between EF and MEM and provides relevant information about the course of memory decline in MS.
Disclosure: Garcia-Vaz, F has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Teva, Merck and/or Roche. Meca-Lallana,V has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Almirall, Bayer, Teva, Merck and/or Roche. Nova-Sanchez, MJ: nothing to disclosure. Yubero R: nothing to disclosure. Aguirre, C has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Almirall, Bayer, Teva, Merck and/or Roche. del Río, B has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Almirall, Bayer, Teva, Merck and/or Roche. Gonzalez-Marques, J.: nothing to disclosure. Vivancos, J has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Almirall, Bayer, Teva, Merck and/or Roche.
Abstract: EP1543
Type: Poster Sessions
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - Neuropsychology
Background: The ability to generate memory strategies is a relevant factor in episodic memory, nevertheless no memory test has been designed to assess the relationship between executive functions (EF) and memory (MEM) in multiple scleroris (MS).
Goals: To evaluate if the Test of Memory Strategies (TMS) allows to assess the relationship between EF and episodic MEM; and to study the relevance of the level of the organization of the material in MEM performance in MS.
Methods: We selected 49 patients with remitting-relapsing MS and 47 healthy controls (HC) matched in age and educational level. MS sample was assessed with a neuropsychological battery and classified in 3 groups: no cognitive impairment (NCI), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and moderate cognitive impairment (ModCI). TMS was administered to all groups. TMS evaluates incidental and immediate MEM including 5 word lists with increasing external organization presented serially: T1, incidental learning task with no phonemic (PH) or semantic (SEM) relations; T2, explicit learning task with no PH or SEM relations; T3, explicit learning task distributed in two SEM categories randomly presented; T4, explicit learning task distributed in two organized SEM categories; T5, explicit learning task distributed in two organized SEM categories previously announced. We analyse differences for TMS performance among HC and MS groups.
Results: A Group X Level of cognitive impairment ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences (p< 0.001) for T3, T4 and T5; Post-hoc analysis showed that HC obtained better results than all the patients groups. When considering the degree of cognitive impairment (CI) all MS groups presented a significant decrement of correct answers for T5 (p< 0.001); and CI groups obtained significant poorer performance (MCI for T3 and ModCI for T3 and T4, p< 0.01)) than NCI.
Conclusion: We find no incidental memory differences between MS and HC. Analysis according to CI revealed that patients with MCI show difficulties to take benefit from semantic categories when randomly presented but no when they are externally organized, suggesting the presence of early EF symptoms; as cognitive decline progresses, the ability to take benefit from external organization and clues also decreases suggesting the existence of memory problems. We conclude that TMS allows to study relationship between EF and MEM and provides relevant information about the course of memory decline in MS.
Disclosure: Garcia-Vaz, F has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Teva, Merck and/or Roche. Meca-Lallana,V has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Almirall, Bayer, Teva, Merck and/or Roche. Nova-Sanchez, MJ: nothing to disclosure. Yubero R: nothing to disclosure. Aguirre, C has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Almirall, Bayer, Teva, Merck and/or Roche. del Río, B has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Almirall, Bayer, Teva, Merck and/or Roche. Gonzalez-Marques, J.: nothing to disclosure. Vivancos, J has received speaker honoraria and/or travel grants from Novartis, Biogen, Genzyme, Almirall, Bayer, Teva, Merck and/or Roche.