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The brief neuropsychological battery for children: a screening tool for cognitive impairment in childhood and juvenile multiple sclerosis

Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy portilio{at}tin.it

B Goretti

Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

S Lori

Department of Pediatric Neurology, Meyer Hospital, Florence, Italy

V Zipoli

Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

S Centorrino

Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

A Ghezzi

MS Centre, Hospital of Gallarate, Gallarate, Italy

F Patti

Department of Neurology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

V Bianchi

Department of Neurological Sciences, "La Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy

G Comi

Department of Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

M Trojano

Department of Neurology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

MP Amato

Department of Neurology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

for the Multiple Sclerosis Study Group of the Italian Neurological Society

Background

A critical problem with neuropsychological assessment in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) is the absence of a standardized, well-validated neuropsychological battery specifically tailored for detecting disease-related cognitive problems in this age range.

Objective

To develop a Brief Neuropsychological Battery for Children (BNBC) with MS.

Methods

We assessed cognitive functions in 61 patients with childhood and juvenile MS and 58 demographically matched healthy controls through an extensive neuropsychological battery.

Results

In MS patients, we found a proportion of cognitive impairment of 41%. In the BNBC, we included the tests with higher discriminating ability (the Selective Reminding Test, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, the Trail Making Test, and the Vocabulary test from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children). The BNBC yielded a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 76%.

Conclusion

Our findings provide preliminary evidence of the usefulness of the BNBC as a screening tool for detecting cognitive impairment in childhood and juvenile MS cases.

Key Words: childhood and juvenile multiple sclerosis • cognitive impairment • screening battery

This version was published on May 1, 2009

Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 15, No. 5, 620-626 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1352458508101950


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