Cognitive and academic outcomes in children with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease.

Abstract

To describe the impact of paediatric myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) on academic and cognitive outcomes. This was an observational, retrospective, and descriptive single-centre study, carried out on a paediatric case series of children with MOGAD. A total of 51 patients were included (22 females); their median age was 8 years and the median follow-up duration was 31.1 months (interquartile range 23.5). The most frequent clinical presentation was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (54.9%), followed by optic neuritis (35.5%). At the last follow-up, regardless of the clinical phenotype at disease onset, 39.5% of patients with MOGAD received academic and educational interventions (p < 0.05 compared to before disease onset), including academic accommodations (p < 0.05) or the need for a learning support assistant (p < 0.05). Ten patients were evaluated with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V). The overall IQ was calculated for six patients (mean = 92); two of these patients had an IQ lower than 85. No difference was found regarding prenatal and neonatal neurodevelopmental characteristics between this cohort and the general population. MOGAD was associated with a need for academic support; lower scores were found on the WISC-V. Patients with MOGAD should receive cognitive and academic assessments to inform educational planning and support academic success.