Cognitive and affective assessments of multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients utilizing computerized touch panel-type screening tests.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive and affective dysfunctions are important aspects for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO).
METHODS: We herein examined the cognitive and affective ability in MS (n=35) and NMO (n=10) patients using computerized touch panel-type screening tests.
RESULTS: While MS patients and normal controls (NC1, n=40) did not significantly differ in their scores from the Hasegawa dementia scale-revised (HDS-R) or the frontal assessment battery, MS patients did score significantly lower on the mini-mental state examination (MMSE). In contrast, NMO patients did not differ from the normal control group 2 (NC2, n=15) in any of the three cognitive assessments. We also examined the affective ability and found that MS patients scored significantly higher on the apathy scale (AS) compared with the NC1 group, while NMO patients scored significantly higher on the geriatric depression scale (GDS) compared with the NC2 group. Although the GDS and AS scores did not correlate with any of the cognitive assessments among MS patients, the AS scores did correlate with the MMSE and HDS-R among NMO patients. Compared with normal controls, the times to complete the flipping cards and arranging pictures games were significantly longer for MS patients but not for NMO patients.
CONCLUSION: These results indicate differences between some features of cognitive and affective dysfunctions between MS and NMO patients. Computerized touch panel-type screening tests may be a more useful and sensitive tool for the cognitive assessment of MS patients than NMO patients.