[Correlation between demyelinating lesions and executive function decline in a sample of Mexican patients with multiple sclerosis]

Abstract

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is characterised by several neurological symptoms including cognitive impairment, which has recently been the subject of considerable study. At present, evidence pointing to a correlation between lesion characteristics and specific cognitive impairment is not conclusive.

Objective: To investigate the presence of a correlation between the characteristics of demyelinating lesions and performance of basic executive functions in a sample of MS patients.

Patients and methods: We included 21 adult patients with scores of 0 to 5 on the Kurtzke scale and no exacerbations of the disease in at least 3 months prior to the evaluation date. They completed the Stroop test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The location of the lesions was determined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed by a blinded expert in neuroimaging.

Results: Demyelinating lesions were more frequently located in the frontal and occipital lobes. The Stroop test showed that as cognitive demand increased on each of the sections in the test, reaction time and number of errors increased. On the WCST, 33.33% of patients registered as having moderate cognitive impairment. No correlation could be found between demyelinating lesion characteristics (location, size, and number) and patients' scores on the tests.

Conclusion: Explanations of the causes of cognitive impairment in MS should examine a variety of biological, psychological, and social factors instead of focusing solely on demyelinating lesions.

Keywords: Cognitive impairment; Demyelinating lesions; Deterioro cognitivo; Esclerosis múltiple; Executive functions; Funciones ejecutivas; Lesiones desmielinizantes; Mexico; Multiple sclerosis; México; Neuropsicología; Neuropsychology.