Prospective Memory Complaints Are Related to Objective Performance in People With Multiple Sclerosis

Daija A Jackson; Aaron P Turner; Sarah A Raskin; Lindsay O Neto; Elizabeth S Gromisch

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2024.08.018

Prospective Memory Complaints Are Related to Objective Performance in People With Multiple Sclerosis

Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2024 Sep 3:S0003-9993(24)01208-5. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2024.08.018. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Daija A Jackson¹, Aaron P Turner², Sarah A Raskin³, Lindsay O Neto⁴, Elizabeth S Gromisch⁵

Affiliations

¹ The Chicago School, Washington, DC; Department of Behavioral Health, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX.
² Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence West, Veterans Affairs, Seattle, WA; Rehabilitative Care Service, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA; Department of Rehabilitative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
³ Neuroscience Program, Trinity College, Hartford, CT; Department of Psychology, Trinity College, Hartford, CT.
⁴ Mandell Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital, Trinity Health Of New England, Hartford, CT; Department of Rehabilitative Medicine, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, North Haven, CT.
⁵ Mandell Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital, Trinity Health Of New England, Hartford, CT; Department of Rehabilitative Medicine, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, North Haven, CT; Department of Medical Sciences, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, North Haven, CT; Department of Neurology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT. Electronic address: elizabeth.gromisch@trinityhealthofne.org.

PMID: 39237071
DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2024.08.018

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the association between subjective and objective prospective memory (PM) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).

Design: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional cohort study.

Setting: Community-based comprehensive multiple sclerosis center.

Participants: PwMS (N=112) who completed a battery that included measures of PM, depression, and fatigue.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main outcome measures: Objective PM was measured with the performance-based Memory for Intentions Test (MIST), whereas subjective PM was assessed with the self-report Perceived Deficits Questionnaire-Prospective Memory (PDQ-PM).

Results: PwMS had low scores on the PDDS (median=2) and HADS-D (median=5.29), with 26.8% scoring 1 standard deviation or lower (≤15th percentile) on the MIST. Objective PM was significantly associated with subjective PM in a multivariate model (β=-0.18, P=.036), which accounted for demographics, physical disability, retrospective memory, and depressive and fatigue severity. Physical disability, depression, and fatigue were also significant contributors to subjective PM. Time-based PM performance emerged as the specific component that was associated with subjective PM.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that among PwMS with relatively mild impairment and symptomatology, their objective PM performance was associated with their self-assessments, even when considering retrospective memory and factors that influence their cognitive perceptions. The results expand upon the subjective-objective cognition discrepancy literature in multiple sclerosis and highlights how the PDQ-PM could be used as a complementary measure to help identify difficulties with PM.

Keywords: Cognitive impairment; Multiple sclerosis; Prospective memory; depression; fatigue.