Information processing speed in MS (IPSiMS)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Information processing speed in multiple sclerosis, defining psychological components of impairment and the clinical and imaging associations: an observational study
IRAS ID
202343
Contact name
Ramune Dirvanskiene
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Cognitive impairment occurs in 40-70% of people with MS (pwMS), with a reduction in the speed of information processing forming the principal deficit. Measures of cognitive performance against the clock have therefore become a mainstay in clinical and research assessment. However, the relative contribution of specific information processing components is unknown, and conventional measurement techniques are confounded by perceptual/motor deficits and limited specificity for fundamental cognitive processes.
In this study we are planning to recruit 120 pwMS and 120 healthy controls who would undergo intensive cognitive assessments of speed of decision-making. The experimental approach involves then applying mathematical diffusion models (developed by Ratcliff (1978)) on the collected data in order to decompose the contribution of motor, sensory, and fundamental cognitive processes. These fundamental measures would be then related to brain pathology, higher level cognitive functions, and the clinical measures of MS burden, such as neurological disability, depression and quality of life.
Determining the fundamental cognitive processes that underpin reduced information processing speed in pwMS is crucial to understanding how the pathology of MS results in disordered brain function. This study will also identify new measures of cognition that, unlike existing measures, are unaffected by concomitant motor or sensory disabilities, and enable better targeting of cognitive interventions for pwMS.
This project was designed as a cognitive sub-study utilizing the research data collected for two currently ongoing projects: MS-SMART (REF 13/SS/0007) and FutureMS (REF 15/SS/0233). All three projects would be administered by the same research team at the same site - the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic. Since there is significant overlap in the clinical and questionnaire data collected in these projects, by sharing data we would ensure to maximize research output while minimizing the time patients spend performing assessments at the research site.REC name
West of Scotland REC 5
REC reference
16/WS/0069
Date of REC Opinion
22 Mar 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion