The review indicates low level evidence for the positive effects of neuropsychological rehabilitation in MS. Interventions included in the review were heterogeneous. Consequently, clinical inferences can basically be drawn from single studies. Therefore, new trials may change the strength and direction of the evidence. To further strengthen the evidence, well-designed high quality studies are needed. In this systematic review, recommendations are given for improving the quality of future studies on the effects of neuropsychological rehabilitation in MS.
Unit management of depression of patients with multiple sclerosis using cognitive remediation strategies: a preliminary study.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often progressive neurologic disorder characterized by cerebral and spinal cord lesions. Patients with advanced MS often require continuous supervision in a long-term skilled nursing facility. Many of these patients experience clinical levels of depression. For this experiment, we randomly assigned MS patients living in a skilled nursing facility to either a control condition or an extended treatment protocol. The protocol consisted of assigning individual certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to each patient, in-service training for the CNAs, and the use of memory notebooks. All patients completed the short version of the Beck Depression Inventory and several measures of cognitive functioning at the start and end of the study. The results indicate statistically and clinically significant improvements in the depression of patients in the treatment but not in the control condition. These results led to recommendations for the treatment of MS patients living in long-term skilled nursing facilities and for additional research.