Abstract Details

Title Neuropsychological Profiles in Adolescents with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

Topic Autonomic Disorders

Presentation(s) P03 - (-)

Poster/Presentation
Number 040

Objective

Background BACKGROUND: Patients with POTS complain of cognitive symptoms, brain fog, and anxiety that may contribute to severe functional disability. To date, there are no published neuropsychological profiles of patients with POTS.

Design/Methods DESIGN/METHODS: We reviewed the neuropsychological data of 6 adolescents with frequent symptoms of orthostatic intolerance for >3 months and increased HR of ?40 or HR of ?120 bpm minutes within 10 minutes of active standing or tilt, who were evaluated at a tertiary care Pediatric Neurology Clinic. All underwent a 6-hour neuropsychological evaluation utilizing well-standardized measures of cognitive and emotional functioning: WISC-IV/WAIS - IV, WRAML-2, Connors' CPT-II, and Clinical Assessment of Depression.

Results RESULTS: One patient had an antecedent H1N1 infection, and no etiology was found in 5. Four patients were not in a formal school setting secondary to their cognitive symptoms. All patients reported significant difficulty concentrating. All but one endorsed significant problems with processing speed or "brain fog." Two complained of "brain fatigue" and one reported anxiety. Clinically reported symptoms of poor concentration and difficulty processing information differed dramatically from the patients' performance on standardized measures of sustained attention, processing speed, and memory. Despite the fact that many were not attending school due to clinically-reported symptoms of inattention and "brain fog", all patients' scores on measures of processing speed, attention, working memory, and verbal memory were within the Average to Above Average range.

Conclusions CONCLUSIONS: While adolescents with POTS often endorse debilitating cognitive and psychiatric symptoms, formal testing reveals no neuropsychological deficits. This preliminary finding indicates the necessity of further study to elucidate the bases for this disparity. Investigations looking at parental and adolescents' reactions to the diagnosis of POTS and assessment of the relationships between medical symptoms, parenting style, and pre-morbid emotional functioning seem warranted.

Authors/Disclosures
Imad T. Jarjour, MD, FAAN (Baylor College of Medicine) PRESENTER	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
Adriana Hernandez	No disclosure on file
Laila K. Jarjour, MB ChB MPH (Baylor College of Medicine)	No disclosure on file
Lucia Moiola, MD, PhD (Fondazione Centro San Raffaele)	Dr. Moiola has nothing to disclose.

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