Within-session practice effect on paced auditory serial addition test in multiple sclerosis

The paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) is increasingly used in multiple sclerosis (MS) studies. Since these studies rely on repeated assessments with relatively short inter-test intervals, practice effects can be a confounding factor. We examined intra-session PASAT practice effects in 70 r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Multiple sclerosis 2008-01, Vol.14 (1), p.106-111
Main Authors: Nagels, G., D'hooghe, M.B., Kos, D., Engelborghs, S., De Deyn, P.P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis
Cognition Disorders - etiology
Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases
Discrimination (Psychology)
Female
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Mental Processes
Middle Aged
Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis
Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive - complications
Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive - diagnosis
Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting - complications
Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting - diagnosis
Neurology
Neuropsychological Tests
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Summary:The paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) is increasingly used in multiple sclerosis (MS) studies. Since these studies rely on repeated assessments with relatively short inter-test intervals, practice effects can be a confounding factor. We examined intra-session PASAT practice effects in 70 relapsing remitting (RR) and 40 secondary progressive (SP) patients. The average number of correct answers increased from 39.6 ± 11.7 in the first PASAT run to 43.8 ± 11.4 in the second run for the RR group, and from 39.1 ± 11.6 to 41.8 ± 13.3 in the SP group. PASAT scores showed a consistent decrease when comparing the second half of each test to the first half for both patient groups, and for both runs. Items for which the answer was a number greater than 9 had the same discrimination ability as other test items, but were significantly more difficult. A simulation of `single-button' responses supported the use of the simplified scoring method which is currently used in fMRI studies. Our results demonstrate a within-session PASAT practice effect in MS, as well as a fatigability effect for both patient groups.
ISSN:1352-4585
1477-0970
DOI:10.1177/1352458507080062