Kessler Foundation receives grant to study effect of speed of processing training on cognitive performance in MS

Kessler Foundation received a four-year $750,000 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to conduct a randomized controlled trial of speed of processing training to improve cognition in multiple sclerosis (MS). Nancy D. Chiaravalloti, PhD, the study's principal investigator, is Director of Neuropsychology & Neuroscience and TBI Research at Kessler Foundation.

"Thanks to National MS Society donors, we are excited to be able to support this innovative clinical trial that addresses the adverse effects of MS on processing speed. Prolongation of processing speed can have a major impact on a person's employment and quality of life," said Nicholas G. LaRocca, PhD, Vice President of Health Care Delivery and Policy Research at the National MS Society.

"The impact extends beyond cognition to multiple aspects of everyday life, including work and social activities," concurred Dr. Chiaravalloti. "Despite the clear impact of processing speed problems on daily life, few studies have addressed improving processing speed in order to improve everyday functioning. We will examine the effectiveness of a well-established computerized processing speed treatment program, Speed of Processing Training (SPT), in persons with MS. This double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial will examine SPT's impact on both objective tests of speed and memory abilities and everyday functional activities. "

Participants with MS who have documented processing speed deficits will be randomly assigned to a treatment group or a non-treatment group. Both groups will undergo testing before and after treatment, as well as 6 months later. Testing will consist of: (1) traditional paper and pencil tests of thinking abilities, and (2) questionnaires examining the impact of the treatment on daily activities. This design will allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of SPT in an MS population on standardized tests of thinking ability and the impact of the treatment protocol on everyday life on tests involving daily tasks and questionnaires completed by the participant and a significant other.