TY - JOUR
AU - Anagnostouli, Maria C
AB - ObjectiveMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system affecting patients’ well-being and quality of life. Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention (PSAI) is a novel non-pharmaceutical intervention with significant benefits both in MS and other chronic diseases. In this study, the longstanding effectiveness of PSAI was investigated.MethodThis was a two-arm quasi-experimental pragmatic trial in relapsing–remitting MS patients (23 in the PSAI and 21 in the control group). PSAI patients received an 8-week training period and then they performed PSAI at home for another 16 weeks. Assessments took place at baseline, 8 weeks, and 24 weeks. These included cognition, fatigue, perceived stress, and hair cortisol.ResultsSignificant group × time interactions favoring PSAI were found during the first 8-week period for information processing speed, fatigue, and perceived stress. However, only verbal memory was found to be significantly improved in the PSAI group during the 24-week follow-up period. There were no significant group × time differences with respect to hair cortisol. No side effects were noted and compliance was excellent.ConclusionsPSAI was mostly effective during the first 8-week training period. Its benefits worn out during the non-training period, albeit we observed a delayed significant improvement of verbal memory. Our findings will help to further refine the technique, either by extending the training period and/or by including booster sessions, throughout the PSAI treatment. This study provided Class III evidence for PSAI.
TI - Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention for Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Pragmatic Trial
JF - Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
DO - 10.1093/arclin/acab044
DA - 2021-06-15
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/oxford-university-press/pythagorean-self-awareness-intervention-for-multiple-sclerosis-MN3vQD81HV
SP - 125
EP - 132
VL - 37
IS - 1
DP - DeepDyve
ER -