Patterns of cognitive impairment in secondary progressive stable phase of multiple sclerosis: Correlations with MRI findings

Cognitive impairment is commonly described in multiple sclerosis (MS), but conflicting results have been reported about its pattern by previous studie s focused on heterogeneous patient groups. The aim of this study was to inv estigate the cognitive skills of a homogeneous group of secondary progressi ve MS patients, and to examine the relationship of this impairment to MRI p arameters. Forty-four MS patients underwent a series of neuropsychological tests devised to explore the main cognitive domains, and T1- and T2-weighte d brain MRI. Results showed the presence of deficits of attention, memory, planning abilities, problem-solving and conceptual reasoning (frontal funct ions) in a subgroup of MS patients. Correlations between the performance in some 'frontal' tests and the extent of frontal robe MRI lesional area were present, but rather unspecific, the same performance being also correlated with the nonfrontal lesional area. These findings suggest that in MS, over all macroscopic and microscopic brain damage is more important than the cor responding focal brain disease, even in determining deficits of selective c ognitive domains. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.