News Benefits of Cognitive Reserve in Multiple Sclerosis May Also Benefit TBI Patients Benefits of Cognitive Reserve in Multiple Sclerosis May Also Benefit TBI Patients by BioNews Staff | May 2, 2014 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link Researchers from theĀ Kessler FoundationĀ have found that higher educational achievement reduces the negative impact ofĀ traumatic brain injuryĀ (TBI) on cognitive status. The study appeared inĀ Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. It was reported in the study that cognitiveĀ ability after experiencing TBI differs in individuals even when their injury levelsĀ were comparable. As a result, the researchers involved in the study sought toĀ determine whetherĀ the differences in cognitive abilities among similar TBI cases could be explained withĀ the hypothesis of cognitive reserve: that patients with TBIĀ whoĀ achieved greater intellectual enrichment before being injuredĀ could beĀ less vulnerable to cognitive impairment. In the study, 44 patients with moderate to severe TBI and 36 healthy individuals participated and received neuropsychological tasks for evaluation of their cognitive status. “Although cognitive status was worse in the TBI group, higher education attenuated the negative effect of TBI on cognitive status, such that persons with higher education were protected against TBI-related cognitive impairment,” said Dr. Sumowski, senior research scientist in Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation. Previously, Dr. Sumowski and his colleaguesĀ demonstrated that the cognitive reserve hypothesis couldĀ also explain the phenomenon in patients withĀ multiple sclerosis, Ā an autoimmuneĀ disease that destroys the central nerve systems of patients. [adrotate group=”4″] In the study, 38 patients with MSĀ wereĀ evaluated for brain atrophy through information processing (IP) efficiency based onĀ a vocabulary-based estimate of premorbid intelligence (Wechsler Vocabulary) and a composite measure of IP efficiency (Symbol Digit Modalities Test and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task). Results showed that MS patients with higherĀ levels of reserve experienced less negative effect of brain atrophy, and were better at withstanding MS neuropathology without suffering cognitive impairment. Given the fact that brain atrophy and memory loss is a major issue with Multiple Sclerosis — one that is being aggressively targeted by MS researchers as they search for effective treatments for protecting the brain — the insights from the MS study could also have a significant benefit to the treatment of TBI as well. Print This Page About the Author BioNews Staff BioNews, the owner and publisher of this site, employs science writers and editors, most of whom have PhDs in the life sciences, as well as veteran journalists, who ensure stories are well-written and easy to understand. Our stories undergo a comprehensive fact-checking and editing process to confirm accuracy, objectiveness, and thoroughness in order to best serve our audience of patients and caregivers.
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