Although numerous studies have shown that brain-damaged patients tend
to underestimate neuropsychological (NP) impairment when self-ratings are
compared to informant ratings, the meaning of such discrepancies is not
well studied in multiple sclerosis (MS). We compared patient self- and
informant-report questionnaire ratings of NP functioning in 122 MS
patients and 37 age- and education-matched normal controls. In addition to
completing the Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Questionnaire (MSNQ),
participants underwent NP testing and assessment of depression,
personality, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Based on the normal
distribution of discrepancy scores, patients were classified according to
whether they overestimated or underestimated their cognitive ability,
relative to informant ratings. ANOVAs comparing test scores derived from
overestimators, underestimators, and accurate estimators were significant
for multiple measures of cognitive function, depression, personality, and
neuropsychiatric symptoms. Overestimators were characterized by less
depression and conscientiousness, and greater degrees of cognitive
impairment, euphoric behavioral disinhibition, and unemployment as
compared to underestimators. We conclude that patient/informant
discrepancy scores on the MSNQ are associated with the aforementioned
neuropsychiatric features, and that the MSNQ has potential utility for
predicting euphoria and disinhibition syndromes in MS. (JINS,
2005, 11, 574–583.)All
authors are from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo School
of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Division of Departmental and
Behavioral Neurosciences, and the Jacobs Neurological Institute, Buffalo
General Hospital, Buffalo, NY.