Affiliations: [a] Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Kessler Foundation, East Hanover, NJ, USA
| [b] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA
| [c] Departamento de Investigación, Psicología, Universidad Enrique Díaz de León, Guadalajara, Mexico
| [d] Department of Neuropsychology, Mexican Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis, Mexico | [e] BioCruces Health Research Institute, Cruces University Hospital, Barakaldo, Bizkaia, Spain
| [f] IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| [g] Department of Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Denise Krch, Ph.D., Center for Traumatic Brain Injury, Kessler Foundation, 120 Eagle Rock Avenue, Suite 100, East Hanover, NJ 07936-3147, USA. Tel.: +1 973 324 8392; Fax: +1 973 386 1361; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Memory impairments commonly afflict individuals with MS. While evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation treatments are available in English, the lack of such interventions in Spanish is an important barrier to care for Hispanics with MS. There is class I evidence that the modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT) improves learning in English. This intervention has been translated and adapted into Spanish. OBJECTIVE:To examine the preliminary efficacy of the Spanish mSMT to improve learning in Mexicans with MS. METHODS:Twenty individuals with relapsing-remitting MS were randomized to treatment (n = 10) or placebo control (n = 10) groups. The Spanish mSMT is a 10-session intervention that teaches imagery and context to facilitate learning. The control condition was matched to the treatment condition in treatment duration, and stimulus content and presentation. Participants completed baseline and post-treatment neuropsychological assessments. RESULTS:Individuals who received the Spanish mSMT showed significant improvements in learning and life satisfaction relative to the control group. Also observed were a near-moderate effect size on perceived memory complaints and a moderate-to-large effect size on the family’s perception of the patient’s competency. CONCLUSIONS:The Spanish mSMT showed preliminary efficacy in improving learning deficits in Mexicans with MS, and such improvements may extend to other domains.
