PSYCHOTHERAPEUTICAL FEATURES OF PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND HEPATOCEREBRAL DEGENERATION

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Genetics

Background:

• Aging physiologically impacts cognitive functions like memory and learning.
• Dementia arises from various factors including degenerative, vascular, and toxic causes.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Wilson's disease (WD) are significant neurological conditions affecting cognitive health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive clinical and laboratory examination of patients with MS and WD.
• To investigate the prevalence and nature of neurodegenerative processes in MS and WD.
• To explore potential strategies for the prevention of cognitive decline in these patient groups.

Main Methods:

• Screening cognitive functions using the Mini Mental Status Exam.
• Assessing verbal memory through the
• memorizing 10 words
• method.
• Evaluating personality and emotional state with the Derogatis SCl-90-P.
• Psychodiagnostic examination of 111 MS patients and 33 WD patients.

Main Results:

• Cognitive disorders affected 44.9% of young MS patients and 91.2% of older MS patients.
• Verbal memory impairment was observed in 69.1% of MS patients.
• Over half of WD patients (66.7%) exhibited impaired cognitive function productivity, with 78.8% showing various mental function disturbances.

Conclusions:

• Brain structures involved in cognitive functions are invariably affected in MS and hepatocerebral degeneration, leading to defects.
• Comprehensive, pathogenetically justified, and personalized therapy is essential for managing these patients.
• Developing palliative therapies to prevent cognitive disorders from progressing to dementia is a critical future research direction.