Incorporating Cognitive QoL Into Lupus Trials, With Carla Marie Cuda, PhD

A new study found that Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scores correlated with cognitive impairment, as measured on the National Institutes of Health Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIHT).

These findings were presented by Carla Marie Cuda, PhD, Solovy/Arthritis Research Society Research Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2025, held October 24–29 in Chicago, Illinois.

Cuda and colleagues assessed 22 female patients with a mean age of 33.8 years (standard deviation [SD], 11.8) and disease duration of 8.9 years (SD, 6.0). Participants had SLE free of concurrent autoimmune or neurologic disease. The study found that patients with moderate-high disease activity scored lower on the Dimensional Change Card Sort and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Tests for executive function and delayed auditory-verbal memory, respectively, compared to those with inactive or low-moderate disease activity. Notably, low circulating complement C4 correlated with worse delayed auditory-verbal memory. The NIHT was found to be sensitive, as the clinically validated Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) did not reveal any differences between groups in the study.

HCPLive spoke with Cuda to learn more about the study and the NIHT. She discussed the strengths of the NIHT, especially its feasibility compared to other assessments. She stressed its potential utility in clinical trials to assess cognitive effects of investigative therapies.

"I think the NIH toolbox offers some way to bring an actual assessment with quantitative values that [are] against national averages. It would be a nice way to measure cognition in a clinical trial setting, at least to give some indicator of either improvement in that outcome, or at least to give some idea across general populations of how much is this impacting [patients]," Cuda said.

Cuda reported no disclosures.

Reference

Beiser S, Qureshi A, Safdar K, et al. Disease Activity Independently Correlates with Cognitive Impairment in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Presented at: ACR Convergence 2025; October 24-29; Chicago, Illinois. Abstract #2430