Cognitive and academic outcomes in children with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease

Aim: To describe the impact of paediatric myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) on academic and cognitive outcomes.

Method: This was an observational, retrospective, and descriptive single-centre study, carried out on a paediatric case series of children with MOGAD.

Results: A total of 51 patients were included (22 females); their median age was 8 years and the median follow-up duration was 31.1 months (interquartile range 23.5). The most frequent clinical presentation was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (54.9%), followed by optic neuritis (35.5%). At the last follow-up, regardless of the clinical phenotype at disease onset, 39.5% of patients with MOGAD received academic and educational interventions (p < 0.05 compared to before disease onset), including academic accommodations (p < 0.05) or the need for a learning support assistant (p < 0.05). Ten patients were evaluated with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V). The overall IQ was calculated for six patients (mean = 92); two of these patients had an IQ lower than 85. No difference was found regarding prenatal and neonatal neurodevelopmental characteristics between this cohort and the general population.

Interpretation: MOGAD was associated with a need for academic support; lower scores were found on the WISC-V. Patients with MOGAD should receive cognitive and academic assessments to inform educational planning and support academic success.