Higher baseline trait conscientiousness predicts slower rates of longitudinal cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 531 patients with MS whose data were gleaned from a multi-study database, aggregated over 16 years. Linear mixed effects modeling was applied to estimate the average rate of decline on Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) performance and to predict rates of decline using baseline clinical variables. They found:
- Participants exhibited an average estimated decline of 0.22 SDMT raw-score points/year.
- There was a significant main effect of time from baseline ( t = −2.78), test form ( t = 2.13), disease course ( t = 2.91), age ( t = −2.76), sex ( t = −2.71), subjective cognitive impairment ( t = −2.00), premorbid verbal intelligence ( t = 5.14), and trait Conscientiousness ( t = 2.69).
- A significant interaction emerged for Conscientiousness and time from baseline ( t = 2.57).
Fuchs TA, Wojcik C, Wilding GE, et al. Trait Conscientiousness predicts rate of longitudinal SDMT decline in multiple sclerosis. [Published online ahead of print January 7, 2019]. Mult Scler . doi:10.1177%2F1352458518820272.