Assessing the presence of oligoclonal IgM bands as a prognostic biomarker of cognitive decline in the early stages of multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND An association has been found between the presence of lipid-specific oligoclonal IgM bands (LS-OCMB) in cerebrospinal fluid and a more severe clinical multiple sclerosis course. OBJECTIVE To investigate lipid-specific oligoclonal IgM bands as a prognostic biomarker of cognitive impairment in the early stages of multiple sclerosis. METHODS Forty-four patients underwent neuropsychological assessment at baseline and 4 years. Cognitive performance at follow-up was compared adjusting by age, education, anxiety-depression, and baseline performance. RESULTS LS-OCMB+ patients only performed worse for Long-Term Storage in the Selective Reminding Test (p = .018). CONCLUSION There are no remarkable cognitive differences between LS-OCMB- and LS-OCMB+ patients in the early stages of MS.