Comparison between verbal and active learning effects on cognitive functions in multiple sclerosis patients

 Evidence found the most common cognitive problem, learning disabilities, in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the stage of decoding new information. Although, the effectiveness of verbal learning and enactment strategies were evaluated and compared in MS patients, the difference of their effectiveness on cognitive functions was not considered. In the present study, the effect of verbal and active learning was investigated on the change of cognitive functions in MS patients.

The present clinical study included 30 MS patients who were divided into two groups of 15 subjects for verbal and active learning. Participants completed some baseline assessments including initial psychological assessment via the Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory, cognitive assessments in pre- and post-test evaluations by the tests of MACFIMS battery including California Verbal Learning Test, second edition (CVLT-II), Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT) and Brief Visuo-spatial Memory Test – Revised (BVMT-R). The treatment consisted of six separate verbal and active learning sessions for each group. Learning materials included six lists containing 16 simple instructions consisting of a noun and a verb.

In the post-test cognitive evaluation, both groups made significant progress (p<0.05) in working memory. In addition, the active coding group showed significant improvement in verbal learning, and the verbal learning group showed significant improvement in processing speed (p<0.05).

Applying a combination of enactment and verbal learning strategies is suggested to reduce learning problems in MS patients.