Symptoms
Symptoms can vary depending on the location of demyelination. Below is a list of typical sites for lesions to form and their associated symptoms:[1]
Optic nerve
Optic neuritis
Pain when moving the eye
Blurred vision
Cerebellum
Instability/dizziness
Spinal cord
Weakness in limbs
Numbness or tingling in limbs
Short electric shock–like sensations
Muscle spasticity
Brain stem
Blurred or double vision
Bowel/bladder
Constipation
Increased need to urinate or urge incontinence
Erectile dysfunction
Additionally, the diffuse damage in normal appearing white matter (NAWM) and normal appearing gray matter (NAGM) can lead to cognitive dysfunction, which may include issues with:
Short-term memory
Attention
Processing speed
Visuospatial skills
Executive function
Notably, intellectual function and language typically aren’t affected.[2]