Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a progressive demyelinating disorder affecting approximately 2.5 million people worldwide. It is imperative to study early disease markers of MS before disabilities become irreversible. Speed of processing (SOP), a measure used to assess cognitive efficiency, is used in MS to test for cognitive impairment. Sound lateralization (SLT), which assesses SOP in the brainstem, has been shown to demonstrate slower processing in an MS cohort with no overt disability as compared to controls, indicating that the SLT may be a useful early measure of detecting MS before the disease enters an irreversible phase.Pediatric-onset MS, the most prevalent neuroimmunological disease in children and adolescents, usually presents with brainstem symptoms. Because the SLT measures SOP in the brainstem, it would be a useful measure to determine early MS correlates in pediatric MS. Furthermore, pediatric MS patients typically experience cognitive impairments that adversely impact their daily life. It is important to recognize early markers of cognitive impairments in order to manage cognitive deficits in children development.Thirty pediatric MS patients and 30 age-matched controls will complete the SLT and SOP tests. Neurologists will complete the Expanded Disability Status Scale, the most commonly used scale to assess MS disability. MS patients will complete the Patient Determined Disease Steps to self-report on their disability.Results will indicate whether only the SLT can account for slower SOP in MS patients with minimal disability as compared to controls. Cognitive impairment is the key impact of disability in pediatric MS. It is imperative to identify early cognitive impairments in order to provide proper management.