Evaluation of cognitive impairments in multiple sclerosis: a comparative analysis of the Rey complex figure test and the symbol digit modalities test

TL;DR

The study compares two cognitive tests in multiple sclerosis patients and healthy controls to evaluate cognitive impairments and their correlation with physical disability.

Contribution

The study introduces a comparative analysis of RCFT and SDMT as complementary tools for assessing cognitive domains in MS.

Findings

MS patients scored significantly lower on all RCFT subtests and SDMT compared to healthy controls.

Moderate correlations were found between SDMT and RCFT 0 to 2, but not RCFT 3.

Combining RCFT and SDMT assessments can provide a broader evaluation of cognitive strengths and weaknesses in MS.

Abstract

Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), and visual memory impairments are increasingly considered clinically important, yet still underappreciated.

To compare cognitive performance assessed by the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) in MS patients and healthy controls, and to examine correlations between these measures and physical disability indices.

A total of 177 participants were assessed using RCFT subtests and SDMT, of whom 95 had relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and 82 were healthy controls. Group comparisons and correlation analyses were performed.

The MS patients scored significantly lower on all RCFT subtests and SDMT. Moderate correlations were found between SDMT and RCFT 0 to 2, but not RCFT 3.

Both RCFT and SDMT may serve as potentially complementary measures of cognitive domains relevant to MS. Incorporating both recall and recognition-based measures, along with processing speed assessments, can provide a broader evaluation of cognitive strengths and weaknesses in MS, helping clinicians better characterize patients' profiles.