Information processing speed (IPS) is a prevalent cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) and based on the results of a recent study, researchers propose a new theoretical model, the tri-factor model of IPS. In order to review the current methods of assessing IPS in MS, researchers examined 157 scholarly articles published between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013. They found:

• The majority (54%) of studies assessed IPS with heterogeneous samples (several disease courses).

• Studies often report controlling for presence of other neurological disorders (60.5%), age (58.6%), education (51.6%), alcohol history (47.8%), or use of steroids (39.5%).

• Potential confounding variables, such as recent relapses (50.3%), history of developmental disorders (19.1%), and visual problems (29.9%), were often neglected.

• Only 9.6% of the articles defined the construct of IPS and 22.3% discussed IPS in relation to a theoretical model.

Citation: Costa SL, Genova HM, DeLuca J, Chairavalloti ND. Information processing speed in multiple sclerosis: Past, present, and future. [Published online ahead of print May 9, 2016]. Mult Scler J. doi:10.1177/1352458516645869.