summary: In people with MS, it may be possible that some degree of cognitive dysfunction appears some years after disease onset. However, some degree of cognitive dysfunction may also appear in a healthy population over time, as a result of normal aging, and this "aging effect" can be seen in people with MS. The authors of this study aimed to investigate whether the decline in cognitive function due to the increasing age ("aging effect") was different between people with MS and healthy controls. They found that, despite people with MS having lower scores in cognitive performance tests than healthy people, the rate of cognitive deterioration over time was similar in both groups, indicating that general cognitive aging occurs similarly in both groups, with and without MS.

authors: Bodling AM, Denney DR, Lynch SG

source: Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2009 Oct 9

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category: Epidemiology

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