| Memory and other cognitive functions were evaluated in 38 individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 38 matched healthy controls. The first part of the study investigated the compared performance of these two groups on verbal fluency, problem solving, speed of information processing, and a variety of memory abilities. The tests used were: the Ross Information Processing Assessment (Organization Subtest), the Boston Naming Test, The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, the Memory Assessment Scales, and the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test, respectively. The second part of the study investigated the possible relationships between encoding strategies and recall performance for the MS and control groups. Each individual of each group listened to the standard presentation of Story Memory and was asked to freely recall the story. Each participant also listened to a nonstandard presentation of a comparable story which provided information in semantic clusters accompanied by pauses between these clusters. Each individual also listened to a standard presentation of a 15 Item Word List. Each participant also listened to a nonstandard presentation of a comparable word list in which words were presented in semantic clusters with pauses in between clusters. Performance on the Memory Assessment Scales was not related to whether the individual was relapsing-remitting, chronic-progressive or had another type of MS. Five case studies illustrated the variability of MS and the dissociation between physical and cognitive impairments. The quantitative analysis determined that the MS group was more impaired than controls on visual span, list acquisition, immediate and delayed recognition of names and faces, immediate visual recognition, visual reproduction, recall of everyday memory tasks, attention, speed of processing, word retrieval, problem solving and flexibility. Cued recall was less impaired than free recall and recognition was best for both groups. Semantic clustering aided recall for both groups and the MS group was consistently more impaired than controls on the experimental measures regardless of semantic clustering. |
