مقایسه حافظه و هیجان در بیماران مبتلا به مالتیپل اسکلروزیس و افراد سالم

Background and purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one the main diseases of the central nervous system. While the significance of cognitive decline in MS patients is well recognized, mild to moderate forms of cognitive dysfunction has received little attention. This study aimed at comparing memory and emotion in patients with multiple sclerosis and healthy individuals. Materials and methods: In a retrospective research 176 MS patients were randomly selected from all patients attending MS clinic in Alzahra Hospital in Isfehan and 68 healthy individuals who were chosen from patients’ caregivers. MS Neuropsychological Screening Questionnaire (MSNQ), Face Symbol Test (FST) in 90 and 300 seconds and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) were administered. The data was analyzed in SPSS applying descriptive statistics, pearson’s correlation coefficient, covariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Covariate and multivariate analyses showed significant difference between the two groups in Face Symbol Test in 90 and 300 seconds and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (P<0.0001). In Face Symbol Test in 90 and 300 seconds, the patients had higher scores while healthy individuals obtained higher scores in Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. No significant difference was observed in the results of Neuropsychological Screening Questionnaire in both groups (P=0.76). Conclusion: Dysfunction of memory and emotion in patients with multiple sclerosis is simply assessed by the tests performed in our study. They are useful and simple to use, thereby, more convenient for clinicians and neurologists.