Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Feb 3:13:245-252.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S124448. eCollection 2017.

Efficacy of a short cognitive training program in patients with multiple sclerosis

María Yaiza Pérez-Martín  1 , Montserrat González-Platas  1 , Pablo Eguía-Del Río  2 , Cristina Croissier-Elías  1 , Alejandro Jiménez Sosa  3
Affiliations

Efficacy of a short cognitive training program in patients with multiple sclerosis

María Yaiza Pérez-Martín et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Background: Cognitive impairment is a common feature in multiple sclerosis (MS) and may have a substantial impact on quality of life. Evidence about the effectiveness of neuropsychological rehabilitation is still limited, but current data suggest that computer-assisted cognitive training improves cognitive performance.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of combined computer-assisted training supported by home-based neuropsychological training to improve attention, processing speed, memory and executive functions during 3 consecutive months.

Methods: In this randomized controlled study blinded for the evaluators, 62 MS patients with clinically stable disease and mild-to-moderate levels of cognitive impairment were randomized to receive a computer-assisted neuropsychological training program (n=30) or no intervention (control group [CG]; n=32). The cognitive assessment included the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Test. Other secondary measures included subjective cognitive impairment, anxiety and depression, fatigue and quality of life measures.

Results: The treatment group (TG) showed significant improvements in measures of verbal memory, working memory and phonetic fluency after intervention, and repeated measures analysis of covariance revealed a positive effect in most of the functions. The control group (CG) did not show changes. The TG showed a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms and significant improvement in quality of life. There were no improvements in fatigue levels and depressive symptoms.

Conclusion: Cognitive intervention with a computer-assisted training supported by home training between face-to-face sessions is a useful tool to treat patients with MS and improve functions such as verbal memory, working memory and phonetic fluency.

Keywords: cognitive impairment; cognitive training; multiple sclerosis; rehabilitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Examples of computerized tasks.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Examples of paper and pencil tasks.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Pflugshaupt T, Geisseler O, Nyffeler T, Linnebank M. Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis: clinical manifestation, neuroimaging correlates, and treatment. Semin Neurol. 2016;36(2):203–211. - PubMed
    1. Jonkman LE, Rosenthal DM, Sormani MP, et al. Gray matter correlates of cognitive performance differ between relapsing-remitting and primary-progressive multiple sclerosis. PLoS One. 2015;10(10):e0129380. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tur C, Penny S, Khaleeli Z, et al. Grey matter damage and overall cognitive impairment in primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler. 2011;17(11):1324–1332. - PubMed
    1. Amato MP, Zipoli V, Portaccio E. Multiple sclerosis-related cognitive changes: a review of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. J Neurol Sci. 2006;245(1–2):41–46. - PubMed
    1. Piras MR, Magnano I, Canu ED, et al. Longitudinal study of cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis: neuropsychological, neuroradiological, and neurophysiological findings. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2003;74(7):878–885. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources