At-Home ‘Brain Training’ Program for MS Patients Reported to Improve Cognitive Skills by 29%

Patricia Silva, PhD avatar

by Patricia Silva, PhD |

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MS and cognitive deficits

Multiple sclerosis patients using a cognitive remediation computer training program, part ofĀ a controlled trial by researchers fromĀ NYU Langone Medical Center,Ā had greaterĀ improvements in cognitive function than those who used a placebo-training program, according to a presentationĀ at the recentĀ American Academy of NeurologyĀ annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

Problems in attention, memory, verbal fluency, and information processing can beĀ common in people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), with difficulties reported in finding the right words and keeping up in conversations, or trouble remembering routines at home or work. According to the researchers, these problems are thought to be associated with volume loss and atrophy in the brainā€™s grey matter.

Cognitive remediation training programs, while seen to be of benefit, are oftenĀ inconvenient, requiring at least weekly in-person sessions at clinics.

Researchers tested the efficacy of an at-home cognitive remediation treatment program in a group of 135 MS patients with cognitive deficits. ParticipantsĀ were randomly assigned to either a computerized program called Posit Scienceā€™s Brain HQ (71 patients), consisting of aĀ series of games and tasks, or to a placebo program with common computer games (64 patients).Ā PeopleĀ in both groups trained one hour aĀ day, five days a week, for a total Ā of 12 weeks.

Results revealed that patients assigned to the Brain HQ program had a 29 percent improvement on neuropsychological tests, compared to a 15 percent improvement in those using theĀ placebo program.

ā€œThis trial demonstrates that computer-based cognitive remediation accessed from home can be effective in improving cognitive symptoms for individuals with MS,ā€ Leigh Charvet, PhD, an associate professor in theĀ Department of Neurology, director of MS Research at NYU’s Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center, and the study’s lead author, said in a news release.Ā ā€œThe remote delivery of an at-home test and findings of cognitive benefit may also be generalizable to other neurological conditions in which cognitive function is compromised.ā€

ā€œMany patients with MS donā€™t have the time or resources to get to the clinic several times a week for cognitive remediation, and this research shows remotely-supervised cognitive training can be successfully provided to individuals with MS from home,ā€ saidĀ Lauren B. Krupp, MD, the study’s senior author, aĀ professor of neurology, and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center. ā€œFuture studies will look at which patients with MS might respond most to cognitive remediation, and whether these improvements can be enhanced or sustained over longer periods of time.ā€