Cognition

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system, commonly affecting the brain; therefore, it is expected that many people with MS will exhibit deficits in cognitive functioning. However, in contrast to this understanding-dating back to Charcot’s observations of memory and concept formation dysfunction1-cognitive manifestations of MS were underestimated and seldom examined in the neurology literature for many decades. With the emergence of the comprehensive care model in the early 1980s, there was a resurgence of interest in the topic, resulting in increased understanding of the nature of cognitive changes in MS, the development of standardized tests for quantifying cognitive changes, and identification of intervention methods.