Neuropsychological testing and event-related potentials in the assessment of cognitive performance in the patients with multiple sclerosis--a pilot study.

AIMS: The aim of the study was to evaluate cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using neuropsychological testing (NT) and auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) with reference to clinical variables, with an attempt to re-assess NT and ERP results after a year.
METHODS: The study comprised 21 patients with MS. ERPs results were compared to age-matched controls. Correlations were searched among ERPs and NT results, duration of MS and disability. NT and ERPs were repeated after a year and their results were compared with the initial ones.
RESULTS: In NT, 90-100% of patients showed impaired memory and attention. Latencies of ERPs were prolonged in patients compared with controls. NT results correlated with clinical variables and N2 parameters. Results of NT, but not ERPs, improved after a year.
CONCLUSIONS: MS patients present with moderate cognitive impairment and ERP abnormalities, with dysfunction of subcortical-prefrontal circuit as their possible background. NT are more useful than ERP in monitoring cognitive performance in MS patients.