Does Depressed Mood Affect Accuracy of Perceptions of Cognitive Function in Multiple Sclerosis? The Role of Momentary Depressive Symptoms in the Correspondence Between Subjective and Objective Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis.

The analysed sample was 241 of 301 enrolled participants, so not all enrolled people completed the ecological momentary assessments. The sample was mainly White, female, and middle-aged, and did not reflect the growing prevalence of MS among Black individuals in the United States. Baseline depressive symptoms were mostly within normal limits, and momentary depressed mood had limited variability, which may make it hard to detect mood effects. Only processing speed and working memory were examined, so findings may not apply to other cognitive domains. Pain, fatigue, and visual acuity were not measured, and MS-related visual problems may affect task performance. The study was observational and did not test an intervention or manipulate mood or cognition.

Do not conclude that depressed mood makes people with MS inaccurate about their cognition. Depressed mood was associated with more cognitive complaints, but it did not significantly change how closely complaints tracked objective performance.