Cognitive Impairments in Early Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Over the past few decades clinical and research awareness has grown about the nature and prevalence of cognitive disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS). It is assumed that 65% of hospitalized MS patients develop cognitive impairments which have consistently demonstrated a pattern of decline in the following areas: attention working memory executive functions and verbal episodic memory. This chapter reviews the evidence for its associated comorbidities which may address early in the disease course that supports the importance for early recognition and management of cognitive impairment in MS before it becomes an irreversible entity. The focus is on three areas of inquiry: The first aims to provide a description of cognitive impairment in MS at all disease stages and in all subtypes. The second tried to evaluate the clinical imaging and neuroanatomical aspects. And the third focuses on cognitive assessment therapy and rehabilitation based on the literature.