Ünal Merve, Balkan Ayla Fil, Acar Özen Nazire Pınar, Tuncer Aslı, Salcı Yeliz
Faculty of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Antalya Bilim University, Antalya, 07190, Dosemealti, Turkey.
Acta Neurol Belg. 2025 Jul 2. doi: 10.1007/s13760-025-02827-7.
This study aims to examine whether egocentric-based mental rotation is affected in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and to analyze its relationship with disability, functional system scores (FSS), and cognitive parameters.
The study involved 57 right-dominant individuals with MS and 40 right dominant healthy subjects. Disability was assessed using the Neurostatus-Expanded Disability Status Scale (Neurostatus-EDSS). Participants' performance on mental rotation tasks was evaluated with the Recognise Hand App™, Recognise Foot App™, measuring reaction times (seconds) and accuracy (%) for hand and foot stimuli. Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS).
MS patients exhibited lower performance in right hand mental rotation reaction time (p = 0.042), right hand accuracy percentage (p < 0.001), right foot accuracy percentage (p = 0.035). Positive correlations were found between disease duration, EDSS total score, cerebellar FSS, bladder-bowel FSS, and ambulation scores with reaction times, while negative correlations were observed with accuracy percentages (p < 0.05). Additionally, a positive correlation was identified between accuracy percentages and BICAMS (p < 0.05).
The study revealed substantial impairments in right-hand and right-foot performance in right dominant individuals with MS. Mental rotation abilities were found to be related to disease duration, higher EDSS and FSS scores, as well as cognitive functioning. Identifying the cognitive domains and functional systems associated with egocentric mental rotation will contribute to better understanding this underexplored area and developing potential treatment strategies to enhance functionality.
本研究旨在探讨多发性硬化症（MS）患者基于自我中心的心理旋转能力是否受到影响，并分析其与残疾程度、功能系统评分（FSS）和认知参数之间的关系。
该研究纳入了57名右利手的MS患者和40名右利手的健康受试者。使用神经状态扩展残疾状态量表（Neurostatus-EDSS）评估残疾程度。通过Recognise Hand App™和Recognise Foot App™评估参与者在心理旋转任务中的表现，测量对手部和足部刺激的反应时间（秒）和准确率（%）。使用多发性硬化症简短国际认知评估量表（BICAMS）评估认知功能。
MS患者在右手心理旋转反应时间（p = 0.042）、右手准确率（p < 0.001）、右脚准确率（p = 0.035）方面表现较差。发现病程、EDSS总分、小脑FSS、膀胱肠道FSS和步行评分与反应时间呈正相关，而与准确率呈负相关（p < 0.05）。此外，准确率与BICAMS之间存在正相关（p < 0.05）。
该研究揭示了右利手MS患者在右手和右脚表现方面存在显著损害。发现心理旋转能力与病程、较高的EDSS和FSS评分以及认知功能有关。确定与自我中心心理旋转相关的认知领域和功能系统将有助于更好地理解这一未充分探索的领域，并制定潜在的治疗策略以增强功能。
