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Mobility impairment and fall concern predict wayfinding ability in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Alexis N. Chargo,T. Takla,Nora E. Fritz,Ana M. Daugherty

Published 2025 in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders

ABSTRACT

The ability to navigate through one's environment is crucial for maintaining independence in daily life and depends on complex cognitive and motor functions that are vulnerable to decline in persons with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). While previous research suggests a role for mobility in the physical act of navigation, it remains unclear to what extent mobility impairment and perceptions of mobility constraints may modify wayfinding and the recall of environment details in support of successful navigation. Therefore, this study examined the relations among clinical mobility function, concern about falling, and recall of environment details in a clinical sample of MS. Forty-four individuals with relapsing-remitting MS (79.5 % female, aged 31-65 years) completed a virtual adaptation of the Morris Water Maze (vMWM) while seated at a computer and subsequent free recall of details from the virtual environment. The inclusion of disease severity (Patient Determined Disease Steps), measures of gait, balance and concern about falling as predictors in multiple regression accounted for 25.0 % of the variance in recall of environment details. Balance performance emerged as the strongest unique predictor, followed by concern about falling. Together, these findings underscore the importance of considering mobility function, including perceptions of mobility constraints, in assessment of wayfinding ability, as modifiable risk factors that have the potential to shape one's memory of the environment.

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