Increased intraindividual variability (IIV) in reaction time is the earliest indicator of cognitive change in MS: a two-year observational study

• Giuseppina Pilloni ^[3] ; T. Charles Casper ^[1] ; Soe Mar ^[4] ; Jayne Ness ^[5] ; Teri Schreiner ^[6] ; Michael Waltz ^[1] ; Emmanuelle Waubant ^[2] ; Bianca Weinstock-Guttman ^[7] ; Yolanda Wheeler ^[5] ; Lauren Krupp ^[3] ; Leigh Charvet ^[3]
  1. [1] University of Utah

     University of Utah

     Estados Unidos

     
  2. [2] University of California System

     University of California System

     Estados Unidos

     
  3. [3] NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York
  4. [4] Washington University, St. Louis
  5. [5] University of Alabama, Birmingham
  6. [6] Children's Hospital Colorado, Broomfield
  7. [7] University of Buffalo, Williamsville, NY

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• Localización: International journal of clinical and health psychology, ISSN 1697-2600, Vol. 24, Nº. 3, 2024, págs. 121-130
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Background Cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis (MS) is common, but unpredictable, and increases with disease duration. As such, early detection of cognitive decline may improve the effectiveness of interventions. To that end, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is effective in detecting slow processing speed as it relates to cognitive impairment, and intraindividual variability (IIV) observed in trials assessing continuous reaction time (RT) may be a useful indicator of early cognitive changes. Here, we will assess cognitive IIV changes in adults with early MS.

    Methods Adults with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), <11 years since diagnosis, were recruited nationally. Baseline and two-year follow-up assessments included Brief International Cognitive Assessment in MS (BICAMS) and Cogstate computerized tests. Intraindividual variability in RT was calculated from psychomotor tasks and data were age-normalized.

    Results A total of 44 of the 66 participants completed follow-up (mean age, 34.0 ± 5.5 years; 66 % female; mean disease duration, 4.1 ± 2.9 years; median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, 1.5 [0 to 6.0]). Participants were grouped by SDMT z-score median split. Groups did not differ in demographics or clinical features. The higher baseline SDMT group was faster (p = 0.05) in RT and less variable (lower IIV, p = 0.001). At the two-year follow-up, the higher SDMT group showed increased variability (p = 0.05) compared to the lower SDMT group, with no significant RT or BICAMS changes.

    Conclusions In early MS, higher SDMT performance at baseline is associated with less cognitive variability but may indicate susceptibility to increased variability over time, highlighting the importance of monitoring IIV for early cognitive changes.