The Need for Screening, Assessment, and Treatment for Cognitive Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Cognitive dysfunction is observed in about half of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and MS health-care professionals face the challenge of screening, assessing, and treating patients for cognitive problems. Considering the inconsistent or limited empirical evidence to assist in this task, a multidisciplinary consensus conference of MS experts, sponsored by the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), was held on September 24, 2010, to address these issues. Key articles from the literature on these topics were distributed prior to the meeting, and CMSC member professionals were surveyed on clinical practices related to screening, assessment, and treatment for cognitive problems. The purpose of the meeting was threefold: 1) to achieve a multidisciplinary perspective on practices for screening, monitoring, evaluating, and treating MS patients for cognitive problems; 2) to propose consensus candidate measures for screening and/or monitoring for cognitive problems in MS that neurologists or nurses might administer on a regular basis; and 3) to propose consensus treatment approaches from a multidisciplinary perspective. This article summarizes the conclusions of the conference participants and provides preliminary suggestions for screening and brief assessment.