Cognitive and Emotional Disorders during Multiple Sclerosis – Exogenous and Endogenous Conditions, Contemporary Methods of Treatment and Prevention

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (SM) is an autoimmune, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. The disease affects patients of all ages, with a higher incidence in women. The etiopathogenesis of SM is not fully understood — it is believed that autoreactive lymphocytes play a key role in the development of the disease, although genetic predisposition and environmental factors also play a role. Diagnosis is based on the McDonald criteria, and the disease has different clinical presentations. Treatment is based on immunomodulation, aims to control the disease, and prevent recurrence. Frequent symptoms of the disease are motor, sensory, and cognitive disorders. Cognitive impairment, which is common in multiple sclerosis patients, has numerous consequences in everyday life (mental, social, economic) that significantly reduce the quality of life. Psycho-cognitive dysfunction, which can occur at any stage of the disease, is associated with changes in the central nervous system. Prevention of these disorders includes the early application of treatment methods that modify the natural course of the disease and the implication of pro-health behaviors, such as quitting smoking, proper diet and physical exercise. Pharmacological treatment shows limited effectiveness. Rehabilitation involving the use of compensatory strategies, remedial methods aimed at brain neuroplasticity and cognitive training shaping new functional networks of the brain is important. The aim of this work is to present the problem of cognitive and emotional disorders in the course of multiple sclerosis, with particular emphasis on endo- and exogenous conditions, together with modern methods of their treatment and prevention. (JNNN 2023;12(3):140–146)