An investigation of auditory processing in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological diseases in North America and it is frequently associated with sensory processing difficulties, cognitive deficits, and psychiatric illness. While many studies have examined cognitive deficits in MS measured by behavioural responses and neuroimaging techniques, only a few studies have examined neurophysiological measures of auditory functioning in MS, such as the mismatch negativity (MMN). The MMN is an event-related potential that indicates automatic auditory change detection. This study examined whether MMN endpoints measured by electroencephalography (EEG) differ in individuals with relapsing–remitting MS compared to healthy controls and whether the symptomatology of MS, including symptoms of depression and fatigue, are related to MMN measures. A multi-feature MMN paradigm, which includes five distinct deviant tones, was used to assess auditory cortex function in MS. There were no significant differences in MMN amplitudes or latencies between the MS and control group (p < 0.05) and corresponding effect sizes were small. However, there was a correlation between reduced MMN amplitudes in response to an intensity deviant and physician-reported disability. The intensity MMN may be more sensitive to deterioration in this population. Ultimately, this study provides a comprehensive profile of early auditory processing abilities in MS and suggests that a reduction in the MMN response may be representative of disease severity in MS.