Brief international cognitive assessment for multiple sclerosis (BICAMS): A danish validation study of sensitivity in early stages of MS

• Published in: Multiple sclerosis and related disorders 2020-01, Vol.37, p.101458-101458, Article 101458
• Main Authors: Marstrand, Lisbet, Østerberg, Ole, Walsted, Trine, Skov, Amalie C., Schreiber, Karen I., Sellebjerg, Finn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brief international cognitive assessment for ms; Brief visuospatial memory test revised; California verbal learning test-ii; Cognitive impairment; Multiple sclerosis; Symbol digit modalities test
• ISSN: 2211-0348; 2211-0356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2019.101458

•Validation of BICAMS in a Danish MS population with early MS.•CVLT-R, SDMT and BVMT-R were significant in pwMS compared to controls.•The Danish translation of BICAMS was a reliable cognitive assessment tool.•Self-reported cognition, fatigue, depression and quality of life was assessed. Cognitive impairment is highly prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS). Due to the lack of specialized neuropsychological resources in many MS clinics, a brief cognitive monitoring tool that can be administered by other MS clinic staff is needed. BICAMS (Brief International Cognitive As-sessment for Multiple Sclerosis) has been developed and recommended by MS experts to monitor MS-related cognitive impairment. International validations of the tool are warranted. The primary aim of the study was to establish a Danish translation of BICAMS as a feasible cognitive monitoring tool and to provide a Danish contribution to the international validation of BI-CAMS. A secondary aim was to determine if BICAMS correlated with self-reported cognition. The study population comprised people with MS (pwMS) with relatively early MS and newly diagnosed. 65 pwMS were compared to healthy controls (HCs) matched on age, sex and education. PwMS and controls completed the BICAMS test battery which includes the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT, oral version), California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II) and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R). In addition, self-reported cognition, fatigue, depression and quality of life were assessed. To evaluate the reliability of the BICAMS test, all participants were retested 2–3 weeks later with alternate versions of the tests. Mean age of the MS group was 37.2 years; 63% were female and all pwMS had a relapsing-remitting disease course. MS disease duration was relatively short; mean disease duration was 3.9 years and 32 of 65 pwMS (49%) were newly diagnosed with MS, i.e. diagnosed within the last 2 years. Mean EDSS was 1.8 with a span from 0–4. Comparison of the groups showed that the MS group performed significantly below the control group on the 3 BICAMS measures: SDMT (p