Comparison of practice-related changes in dual task walking performance and neural efficiency between older adults with progressive and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Background: There is limited research comparing both performance and brain control of walking between older adults with progressive and relapsing-remitting MS.

Objective: This study compared older adults with progressive and relapsing-remitting MS for differences in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation in single- and dual-task-walking and practice-related effects on neural efficiency, walking, and cognitive performances.

Methods: Older adults with progressive (n = 32, age=65±6ys) and relapsing-remitting (n = 63, age=65±4ys) MS completed three conditions (single-task walk, single-task-alpha, i.

Expanding the Connection Between Cognition and Illness Intrusiveness in Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) disease factors, such as cognitive impairment, can cause disruptions in meaningful activities, also known as illness intrusiveness. Although the association between specific objective measures of cognition and illness intrusiveness has been documented in MS, the contributions of individuals' perceptions of their cognition or whether any psychological factors can buffer the relationship have yet to be explored. This study aimed to (1) simultaneously examine objective processing speed and subjective cognition as disease factors contributing to illness intrusiveness and (2) explore whether resilience moderates the relationship between cognition and illness intrusiveness.

Brain hemodynamic responses and fall prediction in older adults with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: We examined whether brain hemodynamic responses, gait, and cognitive performances under single- and dual-task conditions predict falls during longitudinal follow-up in older adults with multiple sclerosis (OAMS) with relapsing-remitting and progressive subtypes.

Methods: Participants with relapsing-remitting ( = 53, mean age = 65.02 ± 4.

Personal growth in caregivers of persons with brain injury or multiple sclerosis.

An existing scale of personal growth in caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) was expanded for use with an acquired brain injury (ABI) population, and was modified following additional psychometric analyses. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 315 caregiving partners of persons with MS and 310 family caregivers of persons with ABI. Principal component analysis (PCA) performed on the original 32-item instrument yielded a 4-component, 17-item solution with correlated subscales with solid psychometric properties.

Disability Moderates Dual Task Walking Performance and Neural Efficiency in Older Adults With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Mobility and cognitive impairment are prevalent and co-occurring in older adults with multiple sclerosis (OAMS), yet there is limited research concerning the role of disability status in the cognitive control of gait among OAMS.

Objective: We investigated the levels of prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation, using oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO), during cognitively-demanding tasks in OAMS with lower and higher disability using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to: (1) identify PFC activation differences in single task walk and cognitively-demanding tasks in OAMS with different levels of disability; and (2) evaluate if disability may moderate practice-related changes in neural efficiency in OAMS.

Methods: We gathered data from OAMS with lower (n = 51, age = 65 ± 4 years) or higher disability (n = 48, age = 65 ± 5 years), using a cutoff of 3 or more, in the Patient Determined Disease Steps, for higher disability, under 3 different conditions (single-task walk, Single-Task-Alpha, and Dual-Task-Walk [DTW]) administered over 3 counterbalanced, repeated trials.

Life space assessment and falls in older adults with multiple sclerosis.

Background/objective: Falls research in older adults with MS (OAMS) is scarce, and no studies have reported on the association between life-space mobility and falls in this group. Herein, we hypothesized that higher baseline life-space scores would be associated with reduced odds of reporting falls during follow-up, and explored whether the association differed by MS subtype (progressive vs. relapsing-remitting).

Frontal-striatal tract integrity and depression in older adults with and without multiple sclerosis.

Objective: Lower white matter integrity of frontal-subcortical circuitry has been associated with late-life depression in normally aging older adults and with the presence of multiple sclerosis (MS). Frontal-striatal white matter tracts involved in executive, cognitive, emotion, and motor function may underlie depression in older adults with MS. The present study examined the association between depression score and frontal-striatal white matter integrity in older adults with MS and controls.

Brain control of dual-task walking can be improved in aging and neurological disease.

The peak prevalence of multiple sclerosis has shifted into older age groups, but co-occurring and possibly synergistic motoric and cognitive declines in this patient population are poorly understood. Dual-task-walking performance, subserved by the prefrontal cortex, and compromised in multiple sclerosis and aging, predicts health outcomes. Whether acute practice can improve dual-task walking performance and prefrontal cortex hemodynamic response efficiency in multiple sclerosis has not been reported.

Initial validation of the university of Alabama Birmingham study of aging life-space assessment in older adults with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Older adults with multiple sclerosis (OAMS) have declines in walking and physical performance that may erode community mobility defined as the spatial extent of mobility in one's daily life and environment.

Objective: This study provided the first application and validation of the University of Alabama Birmingham Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment (UAB LSA) as a measure of community mobility in OAMS.

Methods: The sample included 97 OAMS and 108 healthy controls (HCs) who completed baseline assessments as part of an ongoing, longitudinal study.

Age-related differences in the severity of sexual dysfunction symptoms and psychological distress in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common symptom for many with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, SD research in general appears to often overlook young adults within their samples, which can be a major issue for better understanding and treatment for the MS population. Few studies have compared age-related differences in distress in response to physical disability.

Leadership Coaching in Surgical Residency: Reasons for Referral and Topics Addressed to Improve Nontechnical Skill.

Purpose: Professional coaching has been utilized in the military and private sector with a long track record of optimizing efficiency, improving high-functioning team performance, and creating greater satisfaction among the workforce. Recent studies in physician populations have suggested that coaching may protect healthcare providers from burnout and improve quality of life and resilience. The aims of the current study were to describe our single-institution experience with the introduction of a leadership coaching program among surgical residents and to characterize the nature of the common reasons for referral for coaching.

Differential Associations of Mobility With Fronto-Striatal Integrity and Lesion Load in Older Adults With and Without Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Mobility impairment is common in older persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), and further compounded by general age-related mobility decline but its underlying brain substrates are poorly understood.

Objective: Examine fronto-striatal white matter (WM) integrity and lesion load as imaging correlates of mobility outcomes in older persons with and without MS.

Methods: Fifty-one older MS patients (age 64.

Individual reserve in aging and neurological disease.

Background And Objective: Cognitive and physical functions correlate and delineate aging and disease trajectories. Whereas cognitive reserve (CR) is well-established, physical reserve (PR) is poorly understood. We, therefore, developed and evaluated a novel and more comprehensive construct, individual reserve (IR), comprised of residual-derived CR and PR in older adults with and without multiple sclerosis (MS).

Establishing the Test-Retest Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change of the Multiple Sclerosis Resiliency Scale.

Background: The Multiple Sclerosis Resiliency Scale (MSRS) was designed to assess factors connected to resilience when facing MS-related challenges. Although the MSRS has demonstrated good internal consistency and construct validity, its test-retest reliability has yet to be established. Identifying the minimal detectable change (MDC) of the scale will also improve its utility as an outcome measure for resilience-based interventions.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Greek version of the Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire-19.

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire-19 (MSISQ-19) explores optimally impact of MS on sexual activity/satisfaction/intimacy.

Aim: The present study aims to provide the only validation of the Greek Version of MSISQ-19, and compare results to validation studies in other languages.

Methods: The original/English version of the MSISQ-19 was translated into Greek according to standardized guidelines, while validity/reliability, correlations with other scales and sexual dysfunction prevalence were tested.

Illness intrusiveness: A key part of the cognition-mood link in multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: The current study attempted to expand the literature on cognition and mood in MS by determining if illness intrusiveness may potentially serve as an intermediary factor in the well-established cognition-mood relationship in people with MS.

Method: This study employed a retrospective cross-sectional design to answer this question. Baseline neuropsychological test data and mood questionnaires from 199 participants with clinically definite MS were used in this study.

What factors are associated with resilience in persons with multiple sclerosis? The role of personality traits.

Purpose/objective: While personality traits have been well-documented to be related to resilience in several populations, they have yet to be explored in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). As such, this study aimed to understand how personality traits are associated with MS-related resilience after considering the independent contributions of self-efficacy, a significant component of the biopsychosocial model of resilience in MS, and demographic and disease characteristics.

Research Method/design: Participants ( = 112) were PwMS who completed a 1-time cross-sectional study.

A neuropsychologically based employment intervention for women with multiple sclerosis: A quasi-randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Job loss is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and frequently associated with depression, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. Identifying these modifiable risk factors and providing "at-risk" women with a neuropsychologically-based intervention may improve employment outcomes. Our study seeks to investigate the utility of a neuropsychologically-based intervention with varying levels of treatment and follow-up, and evaluate treatment and employment outcomes among groups.

Managing Cognitive Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis: A Snapshot of Changes in Screening, Assessment, and Treatment Practices.

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can have a negative effect on several aspects of the daily lives of individuals with MS. In 2010, members of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) were surveyed to understand MS clinicians' screening, assessment, and treatment practices for cognitive problems. Given the advancements made in the field in the past decade, it was deemed time to reevaluate how cognitive dysfunction is managed in the clinical setting.

Extension and Evaluation of the PROMIS Sexual Function and Satisfaction Measures for Use in Adults Living With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Sexual dysfunction is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). Clinically meaningful and psychometrically sound measures of sexual function validated in people with MS are necessary to identify people with MS who experience problems with sexual function.

Aim: To evaluate the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sexual Function and Satisfaction (SexFS) v2.

Handedness and Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis: Potential Indications for Hemispheric Vulnerability.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects over 2.5 million individuals worldwide, yet much of the disease course is unknown. Hemispheric vulnerability in MS may elucidate part of this process but has not yet been studied.

A closer look at the influence of mood and disability on illness intrusiveness in multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients often report high levels of illness intrusiveness. The direct and indirect effects of disability and psychological symptoms on illness intrusiveness remain largely unknown, despite their pervasiveness. The present study aimed to examine how depression and anxiety can serve as mechanisms through which disability may impact illness intrusiveness in 3 life domains-instrumental activities, intimacy, and relationships and personal development.

Using the multiple sclerosis resiliency scale to identify psychological distress in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Background: The Multiple Sclerosis Resiliency Scale (MSRS) is the first resilience measure that is specific to multiple sclerosis (MS)-related challenges. In order for the MSRS to be a valuable tool for clinicians, it is important to identify what is a meaningful score. As such, this study aimed to examine the MSRS' ability to identify persons with MS experiencing depression or anxiety symptoms, as determined using clinically significant scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Cognitive and motor slowing mediate the relationship between depression and falls in multiple sclerosis patients.

Objective: Given the limited research concerning the relationship between depression and falls in multiple sclerosis (MS), this study aimed to examine the direct and indirect association between fall history and depressive symptoms.

Methods: One hundred and forty seven MS patients had completed at least one neuropsychological assessment that included detailed information regarding fall history, as well as measures of depression, motor function, and cognitive processing speed.

Results: Fall history was associated with higher depressive symptoms and poorer overall motor function.

A neuropsychologically-based intervention with increased follow-up support for employed women with multiple sclerosis: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate feasibility and acceptability of a neuropsychologically-based vocational intervention with increased follow-up support for women with multiple sclerosis.

Design: Single-blinded parallel-group randomized controlled trial with 12-month follow-up.

Setting: Tertiary-care multiple sclerosis center.