(Press-News.org) Contact information: Carolann Murphy
cmurphy@kesslerfoundation.org
973-324-8382
Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation MS researchers study predictors of employment status
Comparison of cognitive tests shows SDMT effective in determining employment status in MS
West Orange, NJ. January 31, 2014. Researchers at Kessler Foundation have studied the measurement tools used in multiple sclerosis for their effectiveness in predicting employment status. They compared the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC), the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT), and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and found the SDMT effective in differentiating employed from unemployed individuals. The article, Unemployment in multiple sclerosis (MS): utility of the MS Functional Composite and cognitive testing, was published in the January 2014 issue of Multiple Sclerosis Journal (doi: 10.1177/1352458513488235). The authors are Lauren Strober, PhD, Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, Nancy Moore, PhD, and John DeLuca, PhD, of Kessler Foundation.
"The population with MS comprises people of working age," noted Dr. Strober, senior research scientist, "which is why factors related to employment status are a major concern for individuals and clinicians." The researchers studied 77 people with MS; 40 were employed and 37 were unemployed. To determine which factor(s) were predictive of employment status, they compared the two groups in regard to demographic factors, disease variables, MSFC, and cognitive performance. Differences were found in disease duration and progression, upper extremity function, processing speed, verbal learning and memory, and executive function. Analysis revealed the SDMT to be the only predictor of employment status, with an overall accuracy of 67%. "These findings suggest that clinical use of the SDMT may help identify those individuals who are at risk for unemployment," she explained. "This would allow clinicians to advise them on strategies for maintaining employment."
"Unemployment research is a priority at Kessler Foundation," remarked Dr. Chiaravalloti, "because maintaining employment is such an important factor in the quality of life of persons with MS."
INFORMATION:
Funding provided by Kessler Foundation.
About MS Research at Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation's cognitive rehabilitation research in MS is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National MS Society, NJ Commission of Brain Injury Research, Consortium of MS Centers, and Kessler Foundation. Under the leadership of John DeLuca, PhD, senior VP for Research & Training, and Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research, scientists have made important contributions to the knowledge of cognitive decline in MS. Clinical studies span new learning, memory, executive function, attention and processing speed, emotional processing, employment and cognitive fatigue. Research tools include innovative applications of neuroimaging, iPADs, and virtual reality. Among recent findings are the benefits of cognitive reserve and aerobic exercise; correlation between cognitive performance and outdoor temperatures; efficacy of short-term cognitive rehabilitation using modified story technique; factors related to risk for unemployment, and the correlation between memory improvement and cerebral activation on fMRI. Foundation research scientists have faculty appointments at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.
facebook.com/KesslerFoundation
http://twitter.com/KesslerFdn
Carolann Murphy, PA; 973.324.8382; CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org
Lauren Scrivo, 973.324.8384/973.768.6583 (cell); LScrivo@KesslerFoundation.org
Kessler Foundation MS researchers study predictors of employment status
Comparison of cognitive tests shows SDMT effective in determining employment status in MS
2014-02-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Could your relationship with your mom increase your child's chances of obesity?
2014-01-31
URBANA, Ill. – Could the quality of your attachment to your parents affect your own child's risk for obesity? A new ...
Study reports success in targeted therapy for common form of lung cancer
2014-01-31
BOSTON –– The most common genetic subtype of lung cancer, which has long defied treatment with targeted therapies, has had its growth halted by ...
Imaging technique shows brain anatomy change in women with multiple sclerosis, depression
2014-01-31
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 30-Jan-2014
[
| E-mail
]
var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more"
Share
Contact: Sandy Van
sandy@prpacific.com
808-526-1708
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Imaging technique shows brain anatomy change in women with multiple sclerosis, depression
Cedars-Sinai researcher leads multicenter team in study of automated imaging system linking damage to a mood-regulating brain structure in women who have multiple sclerosis and ...
UD catalyst can convert CO2 to CO with 92 percent efficiency
2014-01-31
A team of researchers at the University of Delaware has developed a highly selective catalyst capable of electrochemically converting carbon dioxide — a greenhouse gas — to carbon monoxide with 92 ...
Tracking Asian air pollution aids policymakers
2014-01-31
Recently, Beijing and the nearby Chinese provinces were veiled in smog that reduced visibility, induced health problems, and reached levels described as "beyond index."
Last week, a team of scientists, which included ...
Early studies show microspheres may prevent bone infections after joint replacement
2014-01-31
Currently more than 1 million knee replacements and hip replacements are performed each year in the United States, and with the aging population, ...
Diagnosis just a breath away with new laser
2014-01-31
University of Adelaide physics researchers have developed a new type of laser that will enable exciting new advances in areas as diverse as breath analysis for disease diagnosis and remote sensing of critical ...
Report outlines progress, challenges in childhood cancer
2014-01-31
ATLANTA – Jan. 31, 2014–A new report from the American Cancer Society outlines progress made and –more importantly—challenges that remain in fighting childhood cancer. The report estimates the number of new cancer ...
Teaching young wolves new tricks
2014-01-31
Wolves were domesticated more than 15,000 years ago and it is widely assumed that the ability of domestic dogs to form close relationships with humans stems from changes during the domestication ...
Gastric bypass improves insulin secretion in pigs
2014-01-31
The majority of gastric bypass patients mysteriously recover from their type 2 diabetes within days, before any weight loss has taken place. A study at Lund University Diabetes Centre in Sweden has now shown that the insulin-producing ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Fame itself may be critical factor in shortening singers’ lives
Daily coffee drinking may slow biological ageing of people with major mental illness
New highly efficient material turns motion into power – without toxic lead
The DEVILS in the details: New research reveals how the cosmic landscape impacts the galaxy lifecycle
After nearly 100 years, scientists may have detected dark matter
Gender imbalance hinders equitable environmental governance, say UN scientists
Six University of Tennessee faculty among world’s most highly cited researchers
A type of immune cell could hold a key to preventing scar tissue buildup in wounds
Mountains as water towers: New research highlights warming differences between high and low elevations
University of Tennessee secures $1 million NSF grant to build semiconductor workforce pipeline
Biochar shows powerful potential to build cleaner and more sustainable cities worldwide
UT Health San Antonio leads $4 million study on glucagon hormone’s role in diabetes, obesity
65-year-old framework challenged by modern research
AI tool helps visually impaired users ‘feel’ where objects are in real time
Collaborating minds think alike, processing information in similar ways in a shared task
Routine first trimester ultrasounds lead to earlier detection of fetal anomalies
Royal recognition for university’s dementia work
It’s a bird, it’s a drone, it’s both: AI tech monitors turkey behavior
Bormioli Luigi renews LionGlass deal with Penn State after successful trial run
Are developers prepared to control super-intelligent AI?
A step toward practical photonic quantum neural networks
Study identifies target for disease hyper progression after immunotherapy in kidney cancer
Concordia researchers identify key marker linking coronary artery disease to cognitive decline
HER2-targeted therapy shows promising results in rare bile duct cancers
Metabolic roots of memory loss
Clinical outcomes and in-hospital mortality rate following heart valve replacements at a tertiary-care hospital
Too sick to socialize: How the brain and immune system promote staying in bed
Seal milk more refined than breast milk
Veterans with cardiometabolic conditions face significant risk of dying during extreme heat events
How plants search for nutrients
[Press-News.org] Kessler Foundation MS researchers study predictors of employment statusComparison of cognitive tests shows SDMT effective in determining employment status in MS