Validation of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) in the Russian Population

Abstract

Objective: Cognitive dysfunction is common in multiple sclerosis (MS). The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery of tests has been suggested as a measure for the evaluation of the cognitive status of MS patients. This study aims to validate the BICAMS battery in the Russian population of MS patients. Methods: Age- and sex-matched MS patients (n = 98) and healthy individuals (n = 86) were included in the study. Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), California Verbal Learning Test, 2nd edition (CVLT-II) and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test – Revised (BVMT-R) were administered to all participants. The battery was readministered 1 month later to 44 MS patients to investigate the test–retest reliability. Results: MS patients exhibited a significantly lower performance in testing with BICAMS than the control group in all three neuropsychological tests. Test–retest reliability was good for SDMT and CVLT-II (r = .82 and r = .85, respectively) and adequate for BVMT-R (r = .70). Based on the proposed criterion for impairment as z score below 1.5 SD the mean of the control group, we found that 34/98 (35%) of MS patients were found impaired at least in one cognitive domain. Patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≥3.5 performed significantly worse than controls (SDMT, p < .0001; CVLT–II, p = .03; BVMT-R, p = .0004), while those with ≤3.0 scores did not. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the BICAMS battery is a valid instrument to identify cognitive impairment in MS patients and it can be recommended for routine use in the Russian Federation.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Brief Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) International Validations

“… Forest Plot for CVLT-II. Alarcón et al [ 46 ]; Betscher et al [ 47 ]; Botchorishvili et al [ 48 ]; Costers et al [ 49 ]; Darwish et al [ 50 ]; Drulović et al [ 51 ]; Dusankova et al [ 52 ]; Estiasari et al [ 53 ]; Evdoshenko et al [ 54 ]; Farghaly et al [ 55 ]; Filser et al [ 56 ]; Giedraitienė et al [ 57 ]; Hämäläinen et al [ 58 ]; Marstrand et al [ 59 ]; Maubeuge et al [ 60 ]; Niino et al [ 61 ]; O’Connell et al [ 62 ]; Ozakbas et al [ 63 ]; Polychroniadou et al [ 64 ]; Sandi et al [ 65 ]; Skorve et al [ 66 ]; Souissi et al [ 67 ]; Sousa et al [ 68 ]; Spedo et al [ 69 ]; Vanotti et al [ 70 ]; Walker et al [ 71 ]. …”

Cognitive impairment and its treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis

“…Для скрининговой оценки также используется батарея тестов BICAMS (англ. Brief International Cognitive Assessment in Multiple Sclerosis) [46], которая недавно была валидирована на русском языке [47]. Существуют более подробные батареи тестов, например, BRB-N (англ.…”

Cognitive and Neuropsychological Disorders in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Focus on Verification and Diagnosis of Poorly Recognized Disease Symptoms (A Literature Review)

“…Этот набор состоит из 3 инструментов, которые считаются чувствительными для выявления когнитивной дисфункции у пациентов с рецидивно-ремиттирующим РС, включая адаптацию теста Rao SM et al [21], тест символьно-цифровых модальностей (SDMT) [50], начальные учебные тесты второй версии Калифорнийского вербального теста (California Verbal тест на обучение (CVLT-II)) [51] и начальные проверочные испытания пересмотренного краткого теста на визопространственную память (BVMT-R) [52]. Международные стандарты для валидации BICAMS были разработаны для облегчения валидации и использования во многих странах [53,54].…”