A-9 Cognitive Associations to Accelerated Brain Aging in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Abstract Objective: Accelerated brain aging (ABA) has been identified in neurological/psychological populations and associated with poorer outcomes. Though studies in multiple sclerosis (MS) are limited, ABA in MS has been linked to disease progression and disability. What remains unknown is how ABA is related to cognitive functioning in MS. We hypothesized that greater levels of ABA would be associated with poorer performance on cognitive tests and higher levels of disability in persons with MS (pwMS). Method: Each participant’s (N&#3f40; ages 35+) “brain age” was calculated using structural MRI and ENIGMA’s brain age model. ABA was estimated by subtracting chronological age from brain age, with higher positive values representing greater ABA. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score measured level of disability. Raw scores for BICAMS tests [Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II), and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test (BVMT-R)] were used. Results: Given a priori hypotheses, one-tailed partial correlations, correcting for intracranial volume and sex, were conducted. Results showed a significant inverse correlation between ABA and SDMT performance (r = −0.39, p = 0.005), such that ABA was related to poorer performance on the SDMT. In addition, ABA was significantly related to EDSS score (r = 0.32, p = 0.02). No significant associations were found between ABA and CVLT-II or BVMT-R scores. Conclusion: This is among the first studies to examine ABA and cognition in MS. Previous findings demonstrating a relationship between ABA and disability were also replicated. These results hold promise for interventions that mitigate the effects of ABA in this patient group.