Does Depressed Mood Affect Accuracy of Perceptions of Cognitive Function in Multiple Sclerosis? The Role of Momentary Depressive Symptoms in the Correspondence Between Subjective and Objective Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether the momentary association between subjective cognitive dysfunction (SCD) and objective cognitive performance (OCP) varies as a function of within-person fluctuations in depressed mood among people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of microlongitudinal data collected over 14 days from PwMS.

SETTING

Community.

PARTICIPANTS

Ambulatory adults with MS (N=241).

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants completed ecological momentary assessments 4x per day for 2 weeks, reporting SCD, depressed mood, and brief objective cognitive tasks assessing processing speed and working memory. Multilevel models tested within-person associations between OCP and SCD and moderation by depressed mood.

RESULTS

Momentary objective processing speed corresponded to total SCD, such that slower processing speed was associated with higher perceived cognitive dysfunction (B=0.06, SE=0.01, P<.001). In contrast, objective working memory did not correspond with total SCD. Depressed mood was independently associated with greater SCD (B=0.09, SE=0.01, P<.001) but did not moderate the relationship between OCP and SCD.

CONCLUSION

PwMS appear accurate in their momentary perceptions of processing speed performance, but less so for working memory. Depressed mood states are associated with elevated perceptions of cognitive dysfunction regardless of objective performance.