Key clinical point : Cognitive reserve (CR) is strongly associated with cognitive function in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS); CR along with disability and depressive symptoms explained up to roughly 23.7% of the cognitive performance.
Major finding: Cognitive impairment (CI) was detected in 202 (38.4%) patients. The CR Index questionnaire (CRIq) score was lower in patients with CI vs. those without (94.8±11.6 vs. 102.2±14.1; P less than .001). CRIq score significantly correlated with information-processing speed, verbal memory, and visuospatial memory ( P less than .001 for all). Higher CRIq was associated with lower disability and depressive symptoms ( P less than .001 for both).
Study details : Cross-sectional study of 526 MS outpatients (70.9% female patients; mean age, 41.7±11.1 years); CR was assessed by the CRIq.
Disclosures: No study sponsor was identified. Dr. Bakirtzis and Prof. Grigoriadis reported receiving research funding and/or honoraria from multiple pharmaceutical companies. The remaining authors reported no conflict of interest.
Citation: Artemiadis A et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2020 Mar 7. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.102047.