Abstract

When performing a novel task, people need to generate and apply a working strategy. The application of an appropriate working strategy enables patients with cognitive impairment (CI) to perform tasks efficiently, which in turn makes it easier to meet the challenges of daily life tasks. We investigated the strategy application abilities (SAA) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and compared these results with data based on healthy subjects' performance. Seventy-six patients performed a Strategy Application Test (SAT) along with other cognitive tests, and completed depression, fatigue, and activity of daily living (ADL) questionnaires. Our results indicated that 76% of the MS patients included had impaired SAA, and that this impairment was not correlated with their depression, fatigue, Expanded Disability Severity Scale (EDSS), or ADL. These findings may have important implications for the understanding of the capability of MS patients to cope with nonroutine tasks, as well as for the potential of future implementation of cognitive rehabilitation in improving the SAA of patients with MS or other cognitive disorders.