Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) is an important and prevalent issue that impacts the person{\textquoteright}s daily life. Routine assessment of cognitive performance in clinical practice is hampered by a lack of time and trained personnel, and discrepancies between perceived cognitive symptoms and performance on neuropsychological tests. Validated smartphone-based screening tests can be useful tools to support clinical practice, since they can be carried out by the patients themselves at home. Furthermore, perceived cognitive symptoms also deserve attention, even in the absence of impairment on objective cognitive testing, since they can be a reflection of other invisible MS symptoms.Treatment of cognitive impairment is another unmet need. The most promising treatment strategy is cognitive rehabilitation, although methodological limitations hamper its implementation into daily practice. Well-designed randomized controlled trials are paramount to overcome these issues, but their execution is often complex. It is important to realise that cognitive and motor functions are linked, and we can exploit this link in the treatment of cognitive impairment; cognitive, motor and combined cognitive-motor rehabilitation can all result in cognitive improvement, with a possible synergistic effect of the combined intervention. These treatments can be also offered as remote telerehabilitation interventions, to reduce the burden on patients. More studies on this topic can pave to the way towards implementation of these treatments into clinical practice.
Van Laethem, D 2025, 'Cognitive care in multiple sclerosis: patient-reported outcomes, cognitive-motor links and telemedicine', Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Van Laethem, D. (2025). Cognitive care in multiple sclerosis: patient-reported outcomes, cognitive-motor links and telemedicine. [PhD Thesis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel]. Crazy Copy Center Productions.
@phdthesis{6dab6cb9bb724173a7a220ce2f4a98bf,
title = "Cognitive care in multiple sclerosis: patient-reported outcomes, cognitive-motor links and telemedicine",
abstract = "Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) is an important and prevalent issue that impacts the person{\textquoteright}s daily life. Routine assessment of cognitive performance in clinical practice is hampered by a lack of time and trained personnel, and discrepancies between perceived cognitive symptoms and performance on neuropsychological tests. Validated smartphone-based screening tests can be useful tools to support clinical practice, since they can be carried out by the patients themselves at home. Furthermore, perceived cognitive symptoms also deserve attention, even in the absence of impairment on objective cognitive testing, since they can be a reflection of other invisible MS symptoms.Treatment of cognitive impairment is another unmet need. The most promising treatment strategy is cognitive rehabilitation, although methodological limitations hamper its implementation into daily practice. Well-designed randomized controlled trials are paramount to overcome these issues, but their execution is often complex. It is important to realise that cognitive and motor functions are linked, and we can exploit this link in the treatment of cognitive impairment; cognitive, motor and combined cognitive-motor rehabilitation can all result in cognitive improvement, with a possible synergistic effect of the combined intervention. These treatments can be also offered as remote telerehabilitation interventions, to reduce the burden on patients. More studies on this topic can pave to the way towards implementation of these treatments into clinical practice.",
author = "{Van Laethem}, Delphine",
year = "2025",
language = "English",
isbn = "9789493461048",
publisher = "Crazy Copy Center Productions",
address = "Belgium",
school = "Vrije Universiteit Brussel",
}