Occupational Attainment as a Marker of Cognitive Reserve in Multiple Sclerosis

Cognitive dysfunction affects half of MS patients. Although brain atrophy generally yields the most robust MRI correlations with cognition, significant variance in cognition between individual MS patients remains unexplained. Recently, markers of cognitive reserve such as premorbid intelligence have...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one Vol. 7; no. 10; p. e47206
Main Authors: Ghaffar, Omar, Fiati, Marty, Feinstein, Anthony
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 05.10.2012
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Adult
Alzheimer's disease
Atrophy
Biology
Brain
Brain - pathology
Brain research
Cognition
Cognition Disorders - etiology
Cognitive ability
Cognitive disorders
Cognitive Reserve
Data processing
Education
Executive function
Female
Health sciences
Humans
Hypotheses
Information processing
Intelligence
Intelligence Tests
Magnetic resonance imaging
Male
Medical research
Medicine
Memory
Middle Aged
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis - complications
Multiple Sclerosis - physiopathology
Neuropsychological Tests
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Occupations
Older people
Pathology
Patients
Psychiatry
ISSN:1932-6203, 1932-6203
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Cognitive dysfunction affects half of MS patients. Although brain atrophy generally yields the most robust MRI correlations with cognition, significant variance in cognition between individual MS patients remains unexplained. Recently, markers of cognitive reserve such as premorbid intelligence have emerged as important predictors of neuropsychological performance in MS. In the present study, we aimed to extend the cognitive reserve construct by examining the potential contribution of occupational attainment to cognitive decline in MS patients. Brain atrophy, estimated premorbid IQ, and occupational attainment were assessed in 72 MS patients. The Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Functioning in MS was used to evaluate indices of information processing speed, memory, and executive function. Results showed that occupational attainment was a significant predictor of information processing speed, memory, and executive function in hierarchical linear regressions after accounting for brain atrophy and premorbid IQ. These data suggest that MS patients with low occupational attainment fare worse cognitively than those with high occupational attainment after controlling for brain atrophy and premorbid IQ. Occupation, like premorbid IQ, therefore may make an independent contribution to cognitive outcome in MS. Information regarding an individual's occupation is easily acquired and may serve as a useful proxy for cognitive reserve in clinical settings.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
content type line 23
Competing Interests: AF served on the scientific advisory boards of Merck/Serono and Avenir Pharmaceuticals; received travel funding from Merck/Serono, Teva Neuroscience, Bayer-Schering, and Biogen; served on the editorial boards of Multiple Sclerosis and the African Journal of Psychiatry; received publishing royalties from Cambridge University Press; received honoraria for speaking engagements or educational activities from Merck/Serono, Teva Neuroscience, Bayer-Schering, and Biogen; serves on the Medical Advisory Committee of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada; and received research support from Teva Neuroscience, Merck-Serono, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the University of Toronto, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials, as detailed online in the guide for authors. MF has no competing interests to declare.
Conceived and designed the experiments: AF OG. Performed the experiments: OG MF. Analyzed the data: AF OG MF. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: OG. Wrote the paper: AF OG MF.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0047206