Assessment of cognitive functions in patients with multiple sclerosis applying the normative values of the Rao\u2019s brief repeatable battery in the Portuguese population

Claudia Sousa,Mariana Rigueiro-Neves,Maria José Sá,Ana Margarida Passos,Aristides Ferreira

doi:10.1186/s12883-021-02193-w

Claudia Sousa, Mariana Rigueiro-Neves + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-021-02193-w

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Journal: BMC Neurology	Publication Date: Apr 21, 2021
Citations: 6	License type: open-access

Affiliation: Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa

Abstract

BackgroundThe Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRBN-T) is one of the most sensitive and used measures for detecting cognitive impairment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to adapt and validate this battery to the Portuguese population of MS patients.MethodsThe Portuguese version of the BRBN-T was applied to a stratified control national sample of 326 individuals considering sex, age, educational level and geographic location and also a clinical sample of 115 MS patients from several national hospitals. Through the exploration of its psychometrics properties, the Portuguese BRBN-T norms were produced.ResultsThe normative data is presented as a regression-based formula to adjust test scores for gender, education and age, and the results reveal the BRBN-T has the ability to differentiate between MS patients and healthy participant’s cognitive performance.ConclusionThis study demonstrated in our clinical population a good ability to detect cognitive impairment. Its clearly contributed to reinforcing the neuropsychological assessment in Portugal in patients with MS, by providing a new set of instruments, which can be used in the clinical practice, and in future studies. Moreover, it will allow a rigorous and precise support in relation to neuropsychological assessment for future longitudinal studies and clinical trials.

Highlights

The Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRBN-T) is one of the most sensitive and used measures for detecting cognitive impairment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Other neuropsychological evaluation tests were later designed for MS patients, as the Minimal Assessment Cognitive Function in Multiple sclerosis (MACFIMS) [15, 16], and most recently the Brief International Cognitive assessment Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) [17], the latter having been recently validated for use in the Portuguese population by our research group [18]
Participants The BRBN-T was applied to a group of 115 MS patients with MS diagnosed according to the McDonald criteria [22], and to a group of 326 healthy control subjects that were matched for age, gender and educational status. (HC sample) (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

The Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRBN-T) is one of the most sensitive and used measures for detecting cognitive impairment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Cognitive impairment has been reported to affect between 34 to 65% of MS patients [1,2,3], irrespective of age and gender [4, 5]. It can occur at all stages of the disease since its onset [6, 7], and it tends to progress over time, creating a significant impact on patientsfunctioning and quality of life [3, 8,9,10,11]. Other neuropsychological evaluation tests were later designed for MS patients, as the Minimal Assessment Cognitive Function in Multiple sclerosis (MACFIMS) [15, 16], and most recently the Brief International Cognitive assessment Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) [17], the latter having been recently validated for use in the Portuguese population by our research group [18]

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Conclusion