Working Memory Deficits in Multiple Sclerosis: An Overview of the Findings

Zoe Kouvatsou; Elvira Masoura; Vasilios Kimiskidis

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.866885

Working Memory Deficits in Multiple Sclerosis: An Overview of the Findings

Front Psychol. 2022 Apr 28:13:866885. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.866885. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Zoe Kouvatsou¹, Elvira Masoura¹, Vasilios Kimiskidis²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Experimental Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
² First Department of Neurology, AHEPA Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Abstract

Although working memory (WM) and information processing speed (IPS) impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) have been widely investigated, several questions, regarding the nature of these impairments and their relationship, remain unclear. The aim of this short communication article is to present an overview of our recent research findings regarding (a) the characteristics of WM impairment in MS patients and, more precisely, the degree of impairment observed in each WM's component, i.e., phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, central executive, and episodic buffer and (b) the relationship between IPS and each of the four WM components, in an attempt to expand the existing rather narrow understanding of the interconnection between reduced IPS and WM impairment. Two studies of our research team are presented here and their findings are briefly discussed, highlighting the importance of further research on a specific component, namely the episodic buffer component among MS patients.

Keywords: central executive; episodic buffer; information processing speed; multiple sclerosis; working memory.

Publication types

Review