Neuropsychiatric manifestations in multiple sclerosis (MS): Might psychotic symptoms signal the onset of the disease?

Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) can often dysplay psychiatric symptoms throughout the disease. The frequency of those symptoms could be two or three times greater in MS patients compared to the general population. Psychotic symptoms could be an early sign of MS. At first, neurological symptoms can either be mild or altogether absent. MRI brain scans show cerebral lesions in frontal and temporal regions. New MRI sequencing techniques support the hypothesis that disseminated defects in the grey matter occur in MS. These defects could in turn be responsible for cognitive disorders. Patients presenting a first-episode psychosis must have a neurological examination. MS should be considered as an alternative diagnosis of psychosis, particularly in atypical cases where family history of psychosis is absent and where there is bad response to standard psychotropic treatment. Collaboration between neurologists and psychiatrists whilst caring for patients displaying neuropsychiatric manifestations of MS is crucial to enable more accurate diagnoses and try to improve treatment and overall prognosis.