Impaired performances in a stimulus for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients versus controls

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine whether patients with Multiple Sclerosis(MS) have difficulties in a stimulus equivalence task, and to assess the potential relationshipbetween their difficulties and cognitive impairment. A total of 12 MS patients and matchedcontrols completed the stimulus equivalence task. Patients with MS also completedmeasures of a neuropsychological evaluation that included the Brief Repeatable Battery inMultiple Sclerosis, Trail Making A and B, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence (Digit Span), theWisconsin Card Sorting Test, the California Verbal Learning Test, the Wechsler MemoryScale (Logic Memory), and the Boston Naming Test. The stimulus equivalence taskshowed that MS patients had poorer performance and slower response times as comparedwith controls in the stimulus equivalence task. There was a significant correlation amongstimulus equivalence task parameters and indexes of executive function and memory fromthe neuropsychological evaluation.