Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2020 Sep;26(8):798-805. doi: 10.1017/S1355617720000284. Epub 2020 Mar 25.
There is accumulating evidence regarding the beneficial effects of physical activity (PA) on cognitive processing speed in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, one overarching limitation of this research is that researchers have not recruited samples who have the actual problem of being studied (i.e., cognitive processing speed impairment). This study examined associations between device-measured PA and cognitive processing speed in a large sample of persons with MS overall and between those with and without cognitive processing speed impairment.
Three hundred eighty-five persons with MS underwent the oral Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and wore an accelerometer for 7 days for PA measurement. We divided the overall sample into subsamples with (n = 140) and without (n = 245) cognitive processing speed impairment based on age, sex, and education-adjusted SDMT Z-scores.
After controlling for age and disability status, higher levels of device-measured PA were significantly associated with faster cognitive processing speed overall, and the association was significantly stronger among persons with MS who presented with cognitive processing speed impairment.
This examination provides initial cross-sectional support for informing the development of PA interventions as a possible approach for managing MS-related cognitive processing speed impairment. This highlights the importance of developing purposefully designed trials involving PA interventions for targeting cognitive processing speed as a primary end point among persons with MS with impaired cognitive processing speed.
越来越多的证据表明，身体活动（PA）对多发性硬化症（MS）患者的认知处理速度有有益影响。然而，这项研究的一个主要局限性是，研究人员没有招募到实际存在研究问题（即认知处理速度受损）的样本。本研究在总体上的大量 MS 患者中以及在存在和不存在认知处理速度受损的患者之间，检查了设备测量的 PA 与认知处理速度之间的关联。
385 名 MS 患者接受了口头符号数字模态测试（SDMT），并佩戴加速度计进行了 7 天的 PA 测量。我们根据年龄、性别和教育调整后的 SDMT Z 分数，将整个样本分为认知处理速度受损（n=140）和无认知处理速度受损（n=245）的亚组。
在控制年龄和残疾状况后，设备测量的 PA 水平越高，认知处理速度整体越快，在认知处理速度受损的 MS 患者中，这种关联更为明显。
这项检查初步提供了横断面支持，为制定 PA 干预措施提供了信息，作为管理 MS 相关认知处理速度受损的一种可能方法。这突出了开发专门针对认知处理速度的 PA 干预试验的重要性，作为认知处理速度受损的 MS 患者的主要终点。
