Cognitive function in patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease.

Rebekka Rust, Susanna Asseyer, Patrick Schindler, Claudia Chien, Sophia Rekers, Carsten Finke, Frederike Cosima Oertel, Klemens Ruprecht, Sven Jarius, Brigitte Wildemann, Velina Chavarro, Tanja Schmitz-Hübsch, Friedemann Paul, Pia Sophie Sperber

Journal: Journal of neurology 2026;273(1):61

PMID: 41493508

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Abstract

BACKGROUND

Data on cognition in adult patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (pwMOGAD) are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

To examine cognitive function in pwMOGAD and assess relative risks (RR) for cognitive impairment (CImp) in pwMOGAD relative to healthy controls (HC), aquaporin 4-immunoglobulin G positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (pwAQP4+NMOSD), and double-seronegative NMOSD (pwdsNMOSD) compared to HC.

METHODS

Data derived from a cohort with neuroimmunological disorders. Cognitive performance was assessed using Rao's brief repeatable battery of neuropsychological tests, compared to HC using confounder-adjusted linear regressions. CImp was defined as performing two standard deviations below the HC mean in any subtest. RR for CImp was calculated using generalized linear models.

RESULTS

We evaluated cognitive performance of 21 pwMOGAD and 25 HC. CImp was additionally determined in 43 pwAQP4+NMOSD and 15 pwdsNMOSD. PwMOGAD performed worse on Selective Reminding Test, and the symbol digit modalities test compared to HC. Adjusted RR for CImp were 1.9 (95% CI 0.9-4.1) in pwMOGAD, 1.9 (95% CI 1.0-3.9) in pwAQP4+NMOSD and 2.1 (95% CI 0.9-4.6) in pwdsNMOSD.

CONCLUSION

pwMOGAD performed worse in information processing speed, verbal learning, storage and retrieval compared to HC. RR for CImp in pwMOGAD compared to HC was similar to that estimated for pwAQP4+NMOSD and pwdsNMOSD.

Address: Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. [email protected].; Neuroscience Clinical Research Center (NCRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. [email protected].; Institute for Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK), Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany. [email protected].; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Neuroscience Clinical Research Center (NCRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Neuroscience Clinical Research Center (NCRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Neuroscience Clinical Research Center (NCRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Division of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.; Neuroscience Clinical Research Center (NCRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Department of Neurosurgery, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA, USA.; Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Neuroscience Clinical Research Center (NCRC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; German Center for Cardiovascular Disease (DZHK), partner site, Berlin, Germany.; Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

DOI: 10.1007/s00415-025-13582-3

MeSH Terms: Humans, Male, Female, Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein, Middle Aged, Adult, Cognitive Dysfunction, Neuromyelitis Optica, Autoantibodies, Cohort Studies, Neuropsychological Tests, Aquaporin 4, Aged, Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease