[Specificity of attention and cognitive inhibition processes in relapsing -remitting multiple sclerosis patients with consideration of their mood level]. / Specyfika procesów uwagi i hamowania poznawczego u osób ze stwardnieniem rozsianym o przebiegu rzutowo- -remisyjnym z uwzglednieniem poziomu nastroju.

ABSTRACT

UNLABELLED The results of contemporary neuropsychological analyses lay foundation for a broad discussion of the nature and causes of cognitive deficits in MS patients. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the level of alternating attention and dominant reaction inhibition in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients, with consideration of their mood level, age and disease duration. METHOD: Experimental group consisted of 43 adults (30 women and 13 men) diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, with Extended Disability Status Scale (EDSS) results ranging between 2.5-6.5. Control group comprised 38 healthy adults (26 women and 12 men) selected according to sex, age and education. The following tasks were used in the study the Trail Making Test A and B (TMT), Stroop Colour-Word Test (SCWT), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: Experimental group was characterized by significantly worse performance in TMT (p < 0.001) and SCWT (p < 0.001) than the control group. No differences were observed in performance of TMT (p > 0.05) and SCWT (p > 0.05) in the experimental group between subjects with depressed and neutral mood. Disease duration proved significantly related to the level of dominant reaction inhibition (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive impairments within areas of concentration, attention shifting and dominant reaction inhibition were all revealed in the experimental group.