The Effects of Attention Retraining in MS (MSattention)

Finnish MS Society

Status: Completed

Conditions: Multiple Sclerosis

Treatments: Behavioral: neuropsychological rehabilitation

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01492023

MS1209

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether neuropsychological rehabilitation focused on attention retraining and teaching compensatory strategies has positive effects on cognitive performance, quality of life (QoL)and perceived cognitive deficits in patients with MS. The hypothesis is that the neuropsychological intervention shows positive effects on cognitive performance, QoL and perceived cognitive deficits.

Full description

Background: Cognitive impairments are a typical manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS). According to previous studies, neuropsychological rehabilitation may improve cognitive performance in MS. However, the quality of previous studies is low and, accordingly, the evidence on the effects of neuropsychological rehabilitation is low to modest.

Objective: To study whether neuropsychological rehabilitation improves cognitive performance, QoL and perceived cognitive deficits in patients with MS.

Methods: Altogether 100 patients with MS are randomised either to intervention or to control group in three different study sites. All the study subjects are assessed with neuropsychological tests as well as self-rating questionnaires evaluating mood, QoL, cognitive deficits, fatigue and impact of the disease at baseline, after three months (immediately after intervention) and after six months. Patients in the intervention group are offered with neuropsychological rehabilitation conducted once a week during thirteen weeks. Patients in the control group do not receive any intervention.

Results: The effects of intervention on cognitive performance, QoL and perceived cognitive impairments are evaluated using appropriate statistical procedures and comparing the differences between the intervention and the control group.

The present status: The baseline assessments have been performed and the intervention will be conducted between September and December, 2011.

Enrollment: 97 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 58 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• clinically definite MS
• EDSS < 6
• age 18-58 years
• subjective cognitive problems and objective decline in attention

Exclusion criteria

• other neurological disease than MS
• psychiatric diagnosis
• severe depression
• secondary progressive or primary progressive course of MS
• EDSS>=6
• alcohol or drug abuse
• relapse during the preceding month of study entry
• neuropsychological rehabilitation during the study
• no subjective cognitive cognitive problems and /or no decline in attention
• overall cognitive impairment (performance in all tests of BRBNT under -1.5 SD compared to norms of healthy controls)

Trial design

97 participants in 2 patient groups

control

Description:

control group: no intervention

neuropsychological rehabilitation

Description:

intervention group: neuropsychological rehabilitation (13 times 60 minutes, once per week, during 13 weeks) control group: no intervention

Treatment:

Behavioral: neuropsychological rehabilitation