Apathy and Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis

描述（改编自申请人的描述）：虽然研究人员已经 寻找认知缺陷和抑郁症之间的关系， 在多发性硬化症（MS）中都很常见，许多研究表明， 找不到关联。这种失败可能源于多方面的 抑郁症的性质。抑郁症的衡量标准是一系列症状（例如， 焦虑/抑郁情绪，躯体主诉），有些可能更相关 在神经系统疾病如多发性硬化症中， 在历史上与抑郁症有关，最近的证据表明 冷漠是一种重要而独特的神经精神现象 在它自己的权利。研究人员最近发现，冷漠在 预测各种神经障碍中的认知功能障碍（例如， 帕金森病、进行性核上性麻痹）。相比之下， 在认知障碍和烦躁情绪之间发现， 萧条虽然冷漠和认知障碍之间的关系 在超过六个神经系统人群中被发现，它还没有被发现。 在MS中进行了充分的检查。冷漠与神经解剖学有关。 对经常受MS疾病过程影响的区域的损伤（例如， 前额叶皮层）。此外，冷漠与神经心理学有关， MS中常见的缺陷（例如，在工作记忆中，执行功能）。 这项拟议中的研究将证明，当与其他人分开时， 传统上与抑郁症相关的因素，可以作为一个关键标志， MS患者的认知功能障碍。受试者将包括80名MS患者， 患者冷漠将用冷漠评价量表和 神经精神量表的冷漠子量表。受试者将完成 一系列认知任务，侧重于执行功能和工作 记忆据推测，冷漠将负相关， 执行功能和工作记忆测试的表现， 冷漠将大大增加对这种差异的解释， 超出其他神经精神变量的表现 测量抑郁、疲劳、疼痛和睡眠障碍。实证支持 因为最初的假设将为进一步的康复奠定基础。 旨在改善人们的冷漠和认知功能的研究 女士

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Applicant's Description): While researchers have searched for a relationship between the cognitive deficits and depression that are both common in multiple sclerosis (MS), numerous investigations have failed to find an association. This failure may stem from the multifaceted nature of depression. Measures of depression tap a spectrum of symptoms (e.g., dysphoric/depressed mood, somatic complaints), and some may be more relevant to cognition than others in neurological disorders such as MS. While apathy has been historically associated with depression, recent evidence indicates that apathy represents an important and distinct neuropsychiatric phenomenon in its own right. Researchers recently found that apathy played a key role in predicting cognitive dysfunction in a variety of neurological disorders (e.g., Parkinson's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy). In contrast, no link was found between cognitive impairment and dysphoric mood, a core feature of depression. While a relationship between apathy and cognitive impairment has been identified in over half a dozen neurological populations, it has not been adequately examined in MS. Apathy has been associated with neuroanatomical damage to regions that are often affected by the MS disease process (e.g., prefrontal cortex). In addition, apathy has been linked to neuropsychological deficits commonly found in MS (e.g., in working memory, executive functions). The proposed study will demonstrate how apathy, when separated from other factors traditionally associated with depression, can serve as a key marker of cognitive dysfunction in persons with MS. Subjects will consist of 80 MS patients. Apathy will be measured with the Apathy Evaluation Scale and the Apathy subscale of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Subjects will complete a battery of cognitive tasks focussed on executive functioning and working memory. It is hypothesized that apathy will correlate negatively with performance on tests of executive functioning and working memory, and that apathy will significantly add to the explanation of variance in such performance beyond that accounted for by other neuropsychiatric variables measuring depression, fatigue, pain, and sleep disturbance. Empirical support for the initial hypotheses will lay the foundation for further rehabilitative research designed to improve both apathy and cognitive functioning in persons with MS.