Modern Approaches to Diagnosing Cognitive Impairments in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis in patients can cause not only motor, sensory, cerebellar and autonomic dysfunctions, but also cognitive and psychoemotional disorders such as difficulty with learning and recalling information, problems focusing on tasks and maintaining attention, slowed ability to process information, depression, anxiety. Cognitive impairment can appear at any stage of the disease and can be observed in more than half of patients. Patients with multiple sclerosis may not fully recognize or underestimate their complaints of psycho-emotional disturbances, fatigue or pain. For this reason, doctors should rely on the results of neuropsychological tests. Like all symptoms of multiple sclerosis, cognitive impairment is highly variable and significantly affects patients' work habits, social interactions and quality of life. Therefore, the assessment of cognitive functions in patients with multiple sclerosis is of undoubted interest.

Keywords

• multiple sclerosis
• cognitive dysfunction
• social cognition
• neuropsychological tests