Approximately 40-70% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients will present with cognitive dysfunction when assessed with neuropsychological measures. These deficits have a multidimensional impact on patients’ activities of daily living and should be taken into account in their treatment and rehabilitation. Although cognitive deficits are prominent and detrimental in MS, incomplete evidence exists where pharmacological treatment might improve or stabilize cognitive deficits. On the contrary, nonpharmacologic, neurobehavioral, and neurocognitive interventions have been reported to induce cognitive and behavioral improvements, but the persistence of these effects has been scarcely investigated over long follow-up periods. Another promising strategy for enhancing cognitive function in MS patients is the use of noninvasive brain stimulation that has proved to be beneficial in several neurological and psychiatric disorders. This includes techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS, iTBS), anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS), and others.

More recently, researchers successfully applied various neuroimaging techniques to study the effects of cognitive rehabilitation in MS. This studies demonstrated neuroplasticity in the brains of persons with MS through the documentation of changes at the level of the cerebral substrate from pre- to posttreatment. Although there are studies reporting the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in MS, large, high-quality trials are lacking. The ability to make conclusions based on the overall body of evidence is limited by the heterogeneity of patient samples, interventions, and outcome measures. Moreover, results of the available trials are mixed, with positive studies mostly reporting short-term benefits. Therefore, efficient evidence for clinically significant, long term improvements in cognitive function is currently lacking.

In this respect, this special issue aims at compiling the latest research and advances on neuropsychological features of MS with a special emphasis on neurocognitive rehabilitation. We invite authors to submit original research and review articles presenting their latest research and developments in this fast growing field.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Neuropsychological dysfunction and its impact on everyday functions in MS patients (e.g., employment, driving disability due to cognitive deficits)
• Cognitive reserve and neuropsychological functions in MS
• Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) or Quasi-Randomized Trials (QRT) studies on the efficacy of neuropsychological rehabilitation in RRMS and progressive types of MS
• Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) or reviews on the efficacy of noninvasive brain stimulation techniques (e.g., anodal tDCS) to enhance cognition in MS
• Neuroimaging techniques to study the effects of neuropsychological rehabilitation in MS
• Systematic reviews or reviews on the efficacy of neuropsychological rehabilitation in MS
• Systematic reviews, reviews, or Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) on the pharmacological management of cognitive symptoms in multiple sclerosis