Baseline variables of patients with MS and controls (mean)a
| Patients with Natalizumab (n = 22) | Patients with IFNb/GA (n = 17) | Healthy Controls (n = 12) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS therapy | Starting natalizumab at baseline | Continuing IFNb/GA at baseline | NA | |
| Descriptives | ||||
| Age (yr) | 37.2 ± 8.8 | 38.2 ± 5.0 | 35.1 ± 5.3 | .492 |
| Sex (male/female)b | 9:13 | 8:9 | 3:9 | .322 |
| Educationc (mean) (range) | 6.0 (4–7) | 6.0 (5–7) | 7.0 (5–7) | .016e |
| HADS-Ac (mean) (range) | 6.0 (1–13) | 6.6 (1–14) | 4.8 (1–12) | .369 |
| HADS-Dc (mean) (range) | 4.5 (0–18) | 5.0 (0–12) | 1.8 (0–10) | .008e |
| CIS-20c (mean) (range) | 68.5 (14–125) | 86 (31–114) | 42.5 (17–85) | .002e |
| MS characteristics | ||||
| EDSSb,c | 3.0 (1.5–6.5) | 2.5 (1.0–6.5) | NA | .615 |
| Disease duration since onset (yr) | 8.3 ± 6.2 | 9.1 ± 5.2 | NA | .662 |
| Prior IFNb/GA duration at baseline (yr) | 2.9 ± 3.1 | 4.5 ± 4.0 | NA | .169 |
| Volumes | ||||
| NGMV (L) | 0.75 ± 0.04 | 0.73 ± 0.06 | 0.77 ± 0.04 | .134 |
| NWMV (L) | 0.69 ± 0.04 | 0.69 ± 0.04 | 0.73 ± 0.03 | .020e |
| NBV (L) | 1.44 ± 0.06 | 1.42 ± 0.08 | 1.50 ± 0.06 | .025f |
| T2 lesion volume (mL)d | 6.2 (2.4–14.9) | 4.9 (2.5–12.0) | NA | .281 |
| Cognition z scores | ||||
| Symbol Digit Modalities Test | −2.17 ± 0.92 | −1.71 ± 1.13 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | <.001e |
| SPART-total recall | −1.90 ± 1.94 | −0.82 ± 1.83 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .021g |
| SPART-delayed recall | −1.42 ± 1.57 | −0.80 ± 1.93 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .076 |
| VLGT–immediate recall | −1.33 ± 1.84 | −1.66 ± 1.53 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .052 |
| VLGT–short-term free recall | −1.66 ± 1.89 | −1.40 ± 1.64 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .068 |
| VLGT–long-term free recall | −1.65 ± 1.86 | −1.48 ± 1.72 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .070 |
| WLG–Animals | −0.97 ± 0.73 | −0.75 ± 0.81 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .019g |
| WLG–Professions | −1.69 ± 1.15 | −1.79 ± 1.58 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .001e |
| WLG–4 letter “M” words | −0.81 ± 1.0 | −0.85 ± 0.94 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .072 |
| Digit Span Forward | −0.62 ± 1.06 | −0.29 ± 0.98 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .670 |
| Digit Span Backward | −0.96 ± 1.13 | −0.05 ± 1.36 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .067 |
| TMT–Letter-Number Switching | −2.33 ± 2.45 | −1.58 ± 2.08 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .059 |
| Stroop-interference | −0.28 ± 1.44 | −0.63 ± 1.25 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | .697 |
| Average cognition | −1.61 ± 0.73 | −1.22 ± 1.01 | 0.00 ± 1.00 | <.001e |
Note:—CIS-20 indicates Checklist for Individual Strength questionnaire; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; A, Anxiety; D, Depression; SPART, Spatial Recall Task; NGMV, normalized gray matter volume; NWMV, normalized white matter volume; VLGT, Verbal Memory and Learning Task; WLG, Word List Generation; TMT, Trail-Making Test; L, liter; NA, not applicable.
↵a When normally distributed, a multivariate General Linear Model was used with age, sex, and education included as covariates; General Linear Model main effect P values are shown. Nonparametric testing was performed using the Kruskall-Wallis and post hoc Mann-Whitney tests. P values < .05 are considered significant.
↵b χ2 test.
↵c Median and range.
↵d Median and interquartile range.
↵e Significant in both patient groups compared with healthy controls.
↵f Only significant between patients receiving IFNb/GA and healthy controls.
↵g Only significant between patients receiving natalizumab and healthy controls.