Prevalence, Demographic, and Clinical Factors Associated With Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients With Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder
Luka Vlahovic, Jamie McDonald, Jessica Hinman, Anna Tomczak, Christopher Lock, Chella A. Palmer, Lawrence J. Cook, Michael R. Yeaman, Melinda S. Burnett, Gayle K. Deutsch, Lorene M. Nelson, May Han, for CIRCLES Study Group, Lilyana Amezcua, Jacinta M. Behne, Megan Kenneally Behne, Jeffrey L. Bennett, Terrence F. Blaschke, Bobby Boone, Anna Marie Jolley, Eric C. Klawiter, Michael Levy, Maureen A. Mealy, Sarah M. Planchon, Pavle Repovic, Claire Riley, John W. Rose, Nancy L. Sicotte, Terry J. Smith, Ben Thrower, Michael Waltz
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a chronic CNS demyelinating autoimmune disorder targeting the astrocyte antigen aquaporin-4 (AQP4), typically presenting with optic neuritis, transverse myelitis, and brain syndromes. Cognitive dysfunction (CD) in NMOSD is under-recognized and poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical variables associated with CD in NMOSD. METHODS: test, linear regression for univariable and adjusted analyses and simultaneous linear regression and mixed-effects model for multivariable analyses. RESULTS: = 0.715). Descriptive analysis of serial MoCA showed 30% (45/150) of patients with worsening MoCA performance had impaired language and verbal recall. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the largest study of diverse cohort to investigate CD in patients with NMOSD. Our findings demonstrate 34% of patients with NMOSD experience mild-to-moderate CD, while 30% of patients demonstrated decline on serial testing. The substantial prevalence of CD in this pilot report highlights the need for improved and validated screening tools and comprehensive measures to investigate CD in NMOSD.