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A NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Abstract
Fifty-one patients diagnosed by a neurologist as having Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and hospitalized for treatment of their condition were administered the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB). The LNNB is a short comprehensive neuropsychological battery standardized and published in 1978 which has been found to be of value in diagnosing and providing rehabilitative recommendations for patients with neuropsychological damage. A majority of the patients were also rated on the Kurtzke Disability Scale, a neurological examination scoring each patient's functioning in eight different neurological systems. Most of the patients also underwent computerized tomography (CT) scanning. The results indicated a characteristic pattern on the LNNB of impairment of motor and tactile skills, while visual skills evidenced "soft signs" of dysfunction. Cross-validation of Golden's (1979) "double discrimination" scales for the diagnosis of MS indicates that these scales have little validity in the diagnosis of MS patients. Analysis of the effects of several disease-related and demographic variables on the performance of MS patients administered the LNNB indicated that patients with the remitting form of the disease, less definite diagnosis, shorter duration of disease, higher educational levels, and female gender evidenced less impairment on the LNNB. Comparison of the LNNB Clinical Scales with the Kurtzke Scales rated by the attending neurologist suggested that the results of the LNNB increasingly overlapped with the results of the Kurtzke Scales as systems higher in the CNS were evaluated. The high degree of overlap between the LNNB Motor Scale and the Kurtzke Mental Scale was interpreted as indicating that increasing impairment of motor functions was strongly associated with increasing mood and cognition alteration. Four of the LNNB Scales correlated significantly with all three scan measures. Of the three CT scan measures brain density shared the closest relationship with scores obtained on the LNNB. Increased brain density appeared associated with increased impairment on the LNNB.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
Recommended Citation
KAIMANN, CARMEN RITA, "A NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS" (1983). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8404834.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8404834