Measures of cognitive and emotional changes in multiple sclerosis and underlying models of brain dysfunction

In this short critical review, I will take first into account the cognitive defects usually observed in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, the neuropsychological batteries constructed to measure these defects and the main objections that can be addressed to these batteries. I will then pass to consider the problem of the model of brain dysfunction corresponding to the pattern of neuropsychological impairment typical of MS patients, stressing the main differences between anatomical progression and across subjects consistency of the cognitive defects observed in Alzheimer's disease and MS patients. In the last part of my review, I will shortly consider the issues of the emotional changes observed in MS patients, of the interpretation of these emotional disorders and of the scales used to measure them. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.