Reserve-building activities in multiple sclerosis patients and healthy controls: a descriptive study

Carolyn E Schwartz, Armon Ayandeh, Murali Ramanathan, Ralph Benedict, Michael G Dwyer, Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, Robert Zivadinov, Carolyn E Schwartz, Armon Ayandeh, Murali Ramanathan, Ralph Benedict, Michael G Dwyer, Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, Robert Zivadinov

Abstract

Background: Cognitive reserve has been implicated as a possible protective factor in multiple sclerosis (MS) but to date no study has compared reserve-building activities across disease course or to healthy controls. This study aims to describe differences in reserve-building activities across the MS disease course and healthy controls.

Methods: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional cohort study that included 276 healthy controls, and subjects with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS; n = 67), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS; n = 358) and secondary progressive MS (PMS; n = 109). Past reserve-building activities were operationalized as occupational attainment and education. Current activities comprised 6 strenuous and 6 non-strenuous activities, including 5 reserve-building activities and television-watching. Multivariate Analysis of Variance models examined group differences in past and current activities, after adjusting for covariates.

Results: There were group differences in past and current reserve-building activities. SPMS patients had lower past reserve-building activities than healthy controls. All forms of MS engaged in fewer strenuous current reserve-building pursuits than healthy controls. RRMS read less than healthy controls. SPMS engaged in fewer job-related non-strenuous activities. All MS groups watched more television than healthy controls.

Conclusions: MS patients show significantly fewer past and present reserve-building activities. Although it is difficult to establish causality without future prospective studies, lifestyle-modifying interventions should prioritize expanding MS patients' repertoire of strenuous and non-strenuous activities.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Strenuous activity scores by disease group. Healthy control scores are adjusted for age, gender, and the other disease groups are adjusted for age, gender, years since symptom onset, education, and occupational attainment
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Non-strenuous activity scores by disease group. Healthy control scores are adjusted for age, gender, and the other disease groups are adjusted for age, gender, years since symptom onset, education, and occupational attainment

References

    1. Ong AD, Bergeman CS, Bisconti TL, Wallace KA. Psychological resilience, positive emotions, and successful adaptation to stress in later life. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2006;91(4):730–49. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.91.4.730.
    1. Walsh R. Lifestyle and Mental Health. American Psychologist. 2011;66(7):579–92.
    1. Kuh D, Ben-Shlomo Y, Lynch J, Hallqvist J, Power C. Life course epidemiology. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2003;57(10):778–83. doi: 10.1136/jech.57.10.778.
    1. Stern Y. Cognitive reserve: Theory and applications. New York: Taylor & Francis; 2007.
    1. Schwartz CE, Quaranto BR, Healy BC, Benedict RHB, Vollmer T. Cognitive reserve and symptom experience in multiple sclerosis: A buffer to disability progression over time? Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2013;94:1971–81. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2013.05.009.
    1. Perneczky R, Alexopoulos P, Wagenpfeil S, Bickel H, Kurz A. Head circumference, apolipoprotein E genotype and cognition in the Bavarian School Sisters Study. Eur Psychiatry. 2012;27(3):219–22. doi: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2011.01.008.
    1. Nithianantharajah J, Hannan AJ. The neurobiology of brain and cognitive reserve: mental and physical activity as modulators of brain disorders. Prog Neurobiol. 2009;89:36–382. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2009.10.001.
    1. Sole-Padulles C, Bartres-Faz D, Junque C, Vendrell P, Rami L, Clemente IC, et al. Brain structure and function related to cognitive reserve variables in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging. 2009;30(7):1114–24. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2007.10.008.
    1. Schwartz CE, Snook EM, Quaranto BR, Benedict RHB, Vollmer T. Cognitive reserve and patient-reported outcomes. MS Journal. 2013;19(1):87–105.
    1. Schwartz CE, Quaranto BR, Healy BC, Benedict RH, Vollmer T. Altruism and health outcomes in multiple sclerosis: The effect of cognitive reserve. Journal of Positive Psychology. 2013;8(2):144–52. doi: 10.1080/17439760.2013.776621.
    1. Sumowski JF, Chiaravalloti N, DeLuca J. Cognitive reserve protects against cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2009;31(8):913–26. doi: 10.1080/13803390902740643.
    1. Bigler ED. Traumatic brain injury and cognitive reserve. In: Stern Y, editor. Cognitive Reserve: Theory and Applications. New York: Taylor & Francis; 2007. pp. 85–116.
    1. Perneczky R, Drzezga A, Boecker H, Ceballos-Baumann AO, Granert O, Förstl H, et al. Activities of daily living, cerebral glucose metabolism, and cognitive reserve in Lewy body and Parkinson's disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2008;26(5):475–81. doi: 10.1159/000167791.
    1. Grady CL, editor. Cognitive reserve in healthy aging and Alzheimer disease: Evidence for compensatory reorganiztion of brain networks. New York: Taylor & Francis; 2007.
    1. Ahles TA, Saykin AJ, McDonald BC, Li Y, Furstenberg CT, Hanscom BS, et al. Longitudinal assessment of cognitive changes associated with adjuvant treatment for breast cancer: Impact of age and cognitive reserve. J Clin Oncol. 2010;28(29):4434–40. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2009.27.0827.
    1. Bleecker ML, Ford DP, Celio MA, Vaughan CG, Lindgren KN. Impact of cognitive reserve on the relationship of lead exposure and neurobehavioral performance. Neurology. 2007;69:470–6. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000266628.43760.8c.
    1. Cappellani R, Bergsland N, Weinstock-Guttman B, Kennedy C, Carl E, Ramasamy D, et al. Subcortical deep gray matter pathology in patients with multiple sclerosis is associated with white matter lesion burden and atrophy but not with cortical atrophy: a diffusion tensor MRI study. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2014;35(5):912–9. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3788.
    1. Gabelic T, Ramasamy DP, Weinstock-Guttman B, Hagemeier J, Kennedy C, Melia R, et al. Prevalence of radiologically isolated syndrome and white matter signal abnormalities in healthy relatives of patients with multiple sclerosis. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2014;35(1):106–12. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3653.
    1. O'Connor K, Weinstock-Guttman B, Carl E, Kilanowski C, Zivadinov R, Ramanathan M. Patterns of dietary and herbal supplement use by multiple sclerosis patients. J Neurol. 2012;259(4):637–44. doi: 10.1007/s00415-011-6226-3.
    1. Zivadinov R, Marr K, Cutter G, Ramanathan M, Benedict RH, Kennedy C, et al. Prevalence, sensitivity, and specificity of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in MS. Neurology. 2011;77(2):138–44.
    1. Muthèn LK, Muthèn BO. MPlus: Statistical analysis with latent variables version 5.2. Muthèn & Muthèn: Los Angeles, CA; 2008.
    1. Stata 13. College Station, TX: StataCorp LP; 2013.
    1. Sciences NIoS. Roy's largest root VS all the other ones… . 2011 [07-10-2014]; Available from: …
    1. Motl RW, McAuley E, Snook EM. Physical activity and multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis. Mult Scler. 2005;11(4):459–63. doi: 10.1191/1352458505ms1188oa.
    1. Klaren RE, Motl RW, Dlugonski D, Sandroff BM, Pilutti LA. Objectively quantified physical activity in persons with multiple sclerosis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2013;94(12):2342–8. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2013.07.011.
    1. Motl RW. Lifestyle physical activity in persons with multiple sclerosis: the new kid on the MS block. Mult Scler. 2014;20(8):1025–9. doi: 10.1177/1352458514525873.
    1. Schwartz CE, Ayandeh A, Rodgers J, Duberstein P, Weinstock-Guttman B, Benedict RBB, editors. A new perspective on proxy report: Implicit processes of understanding and reserve. Quality of Life Research. 2015, online first. doi: 10.1007/S11136-015-1017-4.

Source: PubMed

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

3
Subscribe