No Cognitive Disadvantage in Pediatric- vs Adult-Onset MS

Stuart SchlossmanMS Research Study and Reports

Sept 11, 2014

BOSTON — A new study suggests no cognitive disadvantage in the long term for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) that began in childhood vs those with adult-onset disease.
Researchers are reporting that overall, cognitive outcomes were similar between the groups and that there were actually fewer patients in the pediatric-onset group, matched with adult-onset patients for age and education, who were classified as cognitively impaired. However, the difference between groups was not statistically significant.
“Since disease onset in a period of active brain growth and maturation may render pediatric-onset subjects more vulnerable to cognitive issues, our findings suggest good compensatory/recovery abilities in these subjects, possibly related with enhanced brain plasticity in early life,” the researchers, with lead author Bahia Hakiki, from the University of Florence, Italy, concluded.
Dr. Hakiki presented their findings here at MS Boston 2014, the 2014 Joint Americas and European Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS/ECTRIMS).
Brain Plasticity
Pediatric-onset MS represents 3% to 5% of the overall MS population and “poses unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges,” she noted. Compared with patients developing adult-onset disease, pediatric patients have relapsing-remitting disease course at onset in more than 90% of cases, have higher clinical and MRI disease activity, and have a slower rate of disability accumulation, although disability is still seen at a younger age.
Cognitive issues are “particularly relevant” in this population, she added, because disease occurs during key periods of brain growth, active primary myelination, maturation of neural networks, and key academic training years. “But on the other hand, brain plasticity and recovery may be more efficient in this group,” Dr. Hakiki said. “For this reason, final outcome of cognitive performance can be evaluated only in the long term.”
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