Changing associations between cognitive impairment and imaging in multiple sclerosis as the disease progresses.

The authors explored cross-sectional associations between MRI parameters (lesion metrics, brain volumes, magnetization transfer ratio histograms, and metabolite concentrations) and cognition in 61 patients who experienced clinically-isolated syndromes (CIS) 7 years earlier. IQ decline and poorer overall cognition were associated with T2 white-matter lesions, and slow information-processing with both T2 lesions and gray-matter atrophy. In a previous study of the same cohort, gray-matter atrophy measured shortly after CIS failed to predict development of cognitive impairment years later. Our findings suggest that gray-matter pathology, reflected by atrophy measurements, becomes increasingly i…

Bipolar I and Bipolar II Disorder: Cognition and Emotion Processing

Background. Cognitive impairment may be part of the endophenotype of bipolar disorder (BP), but little is known about patterns and severity of impairment in BP subgroups and their relation to depression. The same applies to deficits in emotion processing known to be present in BP.Method. To explore the relationship between depression and impairment in cognition and emotion processing and the differences between BP subgroups, we assessed 36 (25 BP I and 11 BP II) patients using a cognitive battery and a facial emotion recognition task.Results. BP patients were impaired compared to published norms on memory, naming and executive measures (Binomial Single Proportion tests, p<0·05). Cognitiv…

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis can be predicted by imaging early in the disease.

Background: Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and adds significantly to the burden of the disease. The ability to predict future cognitive impairment from imaging obtained at disease onset has not been investigated. Methods: 62 patients imaged within 3 months of a clinically isolated syndrome were assessed neuropsychologically 7 years later. Baseline and periodic MRI measures of lesions, atrophy and normal-appearing white and grey matter were regressed against neuropsychological scores to explore the best predictors of cognitive outcome. Results: 28 patients had developed clinically definite MS at follow-up and a further nine met revised McDonald criteria for MS. Def…

Characteristics of frontal and temporal cortex in relation to cognitive dysfunction in Bipolar Disorders

Cognitive impairment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis can be predicted by imaging performed several years earlier.

Cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS) are common and correlate with contemporary MRI brain abnormalities, particularly atrophy, but the ability of imaging early in the disease to predict later cognitive impairment remains to be determined. Thirty relapsing—remitting MS patients recruited within three years of the onset of the disease, and in whom MRI had been performed at baseline and a year later, were assessed neuropsychologically five years later. Imaging parameters accounting for significant variance in cognitive performance were identified using multiple regressions, once confounding variables were controlled. Patients performed significantly worse than expected on tests of at…

IQ and the fronto-temporal cortex in bipolar disorder.

AbstractCognitive changes are documented in bipolar disorder (BP). Cortical volume loss, especially in prefrontal regions, has also been reported, but associations between cognition and cortical abnormalities have not been fully documented. This study explores associations between cognitive performance and cortical parameters (area, thickness and volume) of the fronto-temporal cortex in 36 BP patients (25 BPI and 11 BPII). T1-weighted volumetric MRI images were obtained using a 1.5 Tesla scanner. Cortical parameters were measured using surface-based morphometry and their associations with estimated premorbid, current IQ, visual memory, and executive function explored. Premorbid IQ was assoc…

Domain-specific characterisation of early cognitive impairment following spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.

Cognitive deficits after spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) are common and result in functional impairment, but few studies have examined deficits across cognitive domains in the subacute phase. This study aims to describe the cognitive profile following acute ICH and explore how cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) may impact performance. We retrospectively reviewed 187 consecutive patients with ICH (mean age 58.9 years, 55.6% male) with available imaging and neuropsychological data (median 12 days after stroke). In our cohort, 84% (n = 158) were impaired in at least one cognitive domain and 65% (n = 122) in two or more domains. Deficits in non-verbal IQ (76.6%), information processi…