Highlights
- •Ambulation and cognition worsen with age in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS).
- •Fatigability might influence such age-related worsening of ambulation and cognition.
- •This study tested possible age-group differences in fatigability in adults with MS.
- •There were no significant age-group differences in walking/cognitive fatigability.
- •Fatigability may not explain age-related declines in walking and cognition in MS.
Abstract
Background
Co-occurring walking and cognitive performance deficits are debilitating consequences
of multiple sclerosis (MS) that worsen with age. However, it is unknown if fatigability
influences such age-related worsening of walking and cognitive performance.
Objective
This cross-sectional study examined possible age-related differences in walking-related
motor fatigability (incremental six-minute-walk (6MW) performance) and cognitive fatigability
(incremental Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) performance) in adults with MS.
Methods
196 adults with MS were categorized into age-groups: younger (20–39 years; n = 53), middle-aged (40–59 years; n = 89), and older (60–79 years; n = 54), and completed the 6MW and SDMT. Age-group differences in incremental 6MW and
SDMT performance, controlling for disability status, were examined using separate,
mixed-factor ANCOVAs.
Results
There were no statistically significant age-group-by-time interactions on walking-related
motor or cognitive fatigability when controlling for disability. However, there were
significant main effects of time on incremental 6MW (p = 0.01) and SDMT (p < 0.01) performance indicating the presence of walking-related motor and cognitive
fatigability, respectively, collapsed across age-groups.
Conclusion
Fatigability does not exert a primary influence on age-related worsening of walking
and cognitive neuroperformance outcomes among adults with MS. This suggests that walking-related
motor fatigability and cognitive fatigability may not be optimal targets for mitigating
age-related declines in ambulation and cognition among adults with MS.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 28, 2020
Accepted:
April 15,
2020
Received in revised form:
February 27,
2020
Received:
January 30,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
