While the progression of motor decline is amplified by aging in multiple sclerosis (MS), the degree of cognitive impairment does not vary across the lifespan, according to a recent study. Thus, evidence of accelerated cognitive impairment in older adults with MS may signal the presence of other age-related cognitive pathologies. In all, 698 MS patients (aged 29–71 years) and 226 healthy controls (HCs; aged 18–72 years) completed neuroperformance tests covering ambulation, upper extremity function, information processing speed, and memory. Researchers found:

• Linear regression models predicting cognitive and motor function revealed main effects of MS/HC diagnosis, age, and education across all measures.
• There was also an interaction between age and diagnosis on measures of motor function, but not on cognitive outcomes.