Abstract
ObjectiveSpatial navigation has a crucial function in daily life activities, and is therefore strongly linked to quality of life, autonomy, and mobility. Navigation has been shown to be frequently impaired after forms of acquired brain injury, but the impact of MS on navigation ability has yet to be studied. A better understanding of potential navigation problems in this population could improve patient care. Therefore the aim of the current study was to measure objective and subjective navigation performance in people with MS. MethodsPerformance of a large sample of people with MS (N = 359) was compared to a group of matched controls. Additionally, the impact of ambulation and self-reported cognitive performance was studied within the MS sample. Participants filled out the Wayfinding Questionnaire, the patient-reported Expanded Disability Status Scale and the Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Screening Questionnaire for self-report measures. Objective navigation performance was measured with an online navigation test using a virtual environment. ResultsResults indicate a lower subjective as well as objective performance in people with MS compared to healthy controls, and a substantial contribution of self-reported cognitive performance on navigation ability. ConclusionsThese findings indicate that spatial navigation can be a significant problem in people with MS, especially in people with MS with other cognitive impairments.
Highlights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease of the central nervous system characterized by white matter lesions, axonal damage, and ce rebral atrophy (Huijbregts et al, 2006)
A significantly higher spatial anxiety score was found for the MS participants in comparison to healthy control participants (HC) (p = .001), and their score on distance estimation was lower at trend level, compared to HC scores (p = .023)
This study provides the first examination of navigation performance in a large, representative sample of people with MS
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease of the central nervous system characterized by white matter lesions, axonal damage, and ce rebral atrophy (Huijbregts et al, 2006). It is estimated that 2.3 million people around the world live with MS, with the average age at diagnosis being 30 years (Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, 2013). Cognitive impairment affects 40 to 65 percent of people with MS and has a negative impact on their life quality and employment (Amato et al, 2006; Goverover et al, 2007; Campbell et al, 2017). The main cognitive domains affected are processing speed, memory, attention, conceptual reasoning, and visual perception with the deficits being more prevalent for the first two domains (Grzegorski and Losy, 2017; Cal abrese, 2006). Visuospatial impairments have been reported (Rao et al, 1991; Benedict et al, 2004), but these studies mostly focused on vi suospatial processing and memory
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
