Utilization of the auditory consonant trigram test to screen for cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis: comparison with the paced auditory serial addition test

Abstract

Several screening methods have been evaluated, but most of them are insensitive to MS-related cognitive impairment. The Auditory Consonant Trigram (ACT) test, which contains core features required for a working memory task, has been used to test neuro-cognitive function in different samples of patients to examine the status of working memory. The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between ACT and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), and the usefulness of ACT for evaluating the cognitive impairment in MS in a brief visit. A total of 109 consecutive patients with definite MS were included. The patients were administered ACT, PASAT and EDSS. Mean PASAT score and mean ACT score were 46.199-8.51 and 45.309-9.07, respectively. Correlations between EDSS and PASAT, and EDSS and ACTwere moderately strong. The correlation between ACT and PASATwas very strong (r=0.831, P<0.01). The mean time required to perform ACT was significantly shorter than PASAT (7.25±4.72 and 14.70±6.97 minutes, respectively). In conclusion, as a relatively brief measure of working memory, ACT was well accepted by MS patients and has a strong correlation with PASAT. Thus, ACT might be used for rapid evaluation of cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Keywords

multiple sclerosis auditory consonant trigrams paced auditory serial addition test cognitive impairment screening test

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