{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T06:41:10Z","timestamp":1789195270034,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,5]],"date-time":"2025-03-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1741132800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health &amp; Human Development of the National Institutes of Health","award":["F32HD113333"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["F32HD113333"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Brain Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often demonstrate both cognitive and physical dysfunctions, particularly with greater age and lower physical activity levels, and there is evidence of a relationship between these outcomes (i.e., cognitive\u2013motor coupling) in MS. To date, little is known about cognitive\u2013motor coupling when controlling for chronological age and levels of physical activity. Objectives: We examined cognitive\u2013motor coupling in people with MS while accounting for chronological age and physical activity. Methods: The sample included 290 people with MS between the ages of 22 and 77 years. Participants underwent the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) for cognitive processing speed and the California Verbal Learning and Memory Test\u2013Second Edition (CVLT-II) for verbal learning and memory. Participants completed the 6-Minute Walk and the Timed 25-Foot Walk tests for walking endurance and speed, respectively. Participants wore an accelerometer for a 7-day period to measure moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Results: The bivariate correlation analyses indicated that cognitive function had moderate-to-strong associations with motor function (range of rs between 0.433 and 0.459). The linear regression analyses indicated cognitive\u2013motor coupling between SDMT and motor function (with a range of \u03b2 between 0.139 and 0.145) when controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics. The regression analyses further indicated that the CVLT-II was associated with motor function (with a range of \u03b2 between 0.125 and 0.135) when controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics. When age and MVPA were entered into the regression analyses, SDMT was still associated with the motor function of individuals (\u03b2 = 0.119), and CVLT-II was still associated with the motor function of individuals (with a range of \u03b2 between 0.115 and 0.124). Conclusions: Cognitive\u2013motor coupling is present in people with MS independent of chronological age and levels of physical activity. This warrants further investigation of the underlying mechanism and potential approaches for the management of co-occurring MS-related dysfunction.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci15030274","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,5]],"date-time":"2025-03-05T03:18:22Z","timestamp":1741144702000},"page":"274","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Cognitive\u2013Motor Coupling in Multiple Sclerosis: Do Chronological Age and Physical Activity Matter?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4522-1523","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Brenda","family":"Jeng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peixuan","family":"Zheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robert W.","family":"Motl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.neuro.30.051606.094313","article-title":"Multiple sclerosis: An immune or neurodegenerative disorder?","volume":"31","author":"Trapp","year":"2008","journal-title":"Annu. 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