A new study found that poor sleep quality may be linked with impaired memory and decreased functional abilities in multiple sclerosis patients, according to Multiple Sclerosis News Today.

The study was presented during the Whitaker Research Track Session II at the June 1 – 4 Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual Meeting, in National Harbor, Md.

More than half of the MS population experience sleep disturbances. Although poor sleep quality has been associated with increased depression and anxiety, and decreased quality of life in MS patients, little is known about its effects on cognitive and physical function.

Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center examined the effects of sleep quality on physical and cognitive functions in MS patients. The study included 40 patients with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS, who had been recruited to participate in an exercise intervention study.

Sleep quality was measured through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) test, and further examined through a battery of cognitive tests, including a test for visuospatial memory (Brief Visuospatial Memory Test, BVMT), verbal memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, HVLT), information processing (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, PASAT), and executive function (Stroop).

Read the full story at www.multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com