Intra-individual Variability as a Measure of Information Processing Difficulties in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Deficits in information processing speed are among the most commonly reported impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) and are generally assessed by evaluating mean-level performance on time-limited tests. However, this approach to assessing performance ignores potential within-subject differences in MS patients that may be useful for characterizing cognitive difficulties in MS. An alternative method of measuring performance is by examining the degree of within-subject variability, termed intra-individual variability (IIV). Intra-individual variability provides information about the characteristics of a person's performance over time and may provide novel information about cognitive functioning in MS. This study examined IIV in performance on the Computerized Test of Information Processing (CTIP) using two within-subject variability methods: individual standard deviation and coefficient of variation. Eighteen females with relapsing-remitting MS and 18 healthy female controls completed the CTIP. Consistent with previous research, MS patients demonstrated slower overall mean performance on the CTIP compared with controls, with patients becoming increasingly slower than controls as cognitive demands increased across the tasks. Furthermore, MS patients demonstrated greater IIV as measured by individual standard deviations on all subtests of the CTIP, even with mean-level group differences as well as practice and learning effects controlled. These between-group differences were not found when the coefficient of variation, a more coarse measure of within-subject variability, was used. Intra-individual variability was also found to be a better predictor of neurologic status than mean-level performance. These results suggest that IIV may provide unique insight into cognitive functioning in MS.