Effect of Interferon-[Alpha] on cognitive functioning in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Treatment with interferon-alpha (IFN-Α) has been shown to adversely affect cognitive functioning in patients with a variety of medical disorders, but information about the effects of IFN-Α on cognitive functioning in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of IFN-Α on neuropsychological test performance in CHC patients. Participants were 30 patients with CHC, 11 who underwent IFN-Α therapy and 19 who did not. All participants were tested at baseline (i.e., pretreatment) and approximately 6 months later with the Symbol Digit Modalities Test and Trail Making Test. Results revealed that the treatment group performed significantly worse than untreated CHC patients on Part B of the Trail Making Test after approximately 6 months of treatment. No significant group differences were found on Part A of the Trail Making Test or Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Findings suggest that CHC patients undergoing treatment with IFN-Α may experience reduced abilities to benefit from practice but suffer no decrements in performance after 6 months of treatment. Additional research is needed to replicate these findings and to explore risk factors for susceptibility to IFN-Α-induced effects. (JINS, 2005, 11, 16-22.) [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]