Sufferers of multiple sclerosis may find it more difficult to learn on warm days, new research has suggested.
Researchers in New Jersey, USA, have found for the first time a possible link between the weather and cognition skills for those who have MS.
Dr Victoria Leavitt, from the Kessler Foundation in West Orange, New Jersey, led a study in which 40 people with MS and 40 people without MS were tested.
Each test measured learning, memory and the speed at which they processed information. The temperature on the days the tests were taken was recorded and those with MS also underwent brain scans.
It was found that MS sufferers scored 70 per cent better on thinking tests on cooler days compared to warmer days. No link was found between test scores and temperature for participants who did not have the disorder.
Dr Leavitt is now preparing to present her findings at the American Academy of Neurology’s 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu in April.
“Studies have linked warmer weather to increased disease activity and lesions in people with MS, but this is the first research to show a possible link between warm weather and cognition, or thinking skills, in people with the disease,” she said.
“With more research, this information might help guide people with MS in life decisions and their doctors with clinical treatment.
“Scientists may also consider the effect of warmer weather on cognition when conducting clinical trials,” she added.
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