Prospective Memory Complaints are Related to Objective Performance in People with Multiple Sclerosis.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between subjective and objective prospective memory (PM) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING: Community-based comprehensive MS center. PARTICIPANTS: PwMS (n = 112) who completed a battery that included measures of PM, depression, and fatigue. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Objective PM was measured with the performance-based Memory for Intentions Test (MIST), while subjective PM was assessed with the self-report Perceived Deficits Questionnaire-Prospective Memory (PDQ-PM). RESULTS: PwMS had low scores on the PDDS (Median = 2) and HADS-D (M = 5.29), with 26.8% scoring one standard deviation or lower (≤ 15th percentile) on the MIST. Objective PM was significantly associated with subjective PM in a multivariate model (ß = -0.18, p = .036), which accounted for demographics, physical disability, retrospective memory, and depressive and fatigue severity. Physical disability, depression, and fatigue were also significant contributors to subjective PM. Time-based PM performance emerged as the specific component that was associated with subjective PM. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that among PwMS with relatively mild impairment and symptomatology, their objective PM performance was associated with their self-assessments, even when considering retrospective memory and factors that influence their cognitive perceptions. The results expand upon the subjective-objective cognition discrepancy literature in MS and highlights how the PDQ-PM could be used as a complementary measure to help identify difficulties with PM.