b'their risk. Talk to your doctor about includingessential to the MS experience. It affects not cognitive testing in your routine care. Participantsonly how people think, but how they live, move, who performed poorly on these types of cognitiveand perceive risk. Unfortunately, despite its tasks were more likely to underestimate theirsignicance, cognitive health in MS remains fall risk, even if their physical performancelargely underdiagnosed, underdiscussed, and was signicantly impaired.undertreated. This discovery emphasizes the importanceNow is the time to advocate for change. of incorporating cognitive screening as partHealthcareprovidersneedtoprioritize of fall-prevention strategies. Addressing onlycognitivescreeningearlyandregularly physicalmobilitywithoutconsideringthethroughout the disease course. Standard tools, cognitive underpinnings of risk perceptionsuch as the Symbol Digit Modalities Test or the leaves patients unsafe and vulnerable.Brief International Cognitive Assessment D for MS, and others can be administered in DeexxtteerriittyyaannddtthheebbrraaiinnIn a 2024 study, we explored the relationshipapproximately15minutesandprovide between manual dexterity and cognition. Usingmeaningful insights into a patients cognitive the widely accepted 9-Hole Peg Test, a timedprocesses.measure of hand coordination, we evaluatedWe also advocate for the inclusion of how well individuals could perform a basiccognitive rehabilitation, provided by medical motor task. Then, we correlated those resultsspeech-language pathologists, occupational with performance on cognitive assessments.therapists, and neuropsychologists, who can The ndings were clear. Reduced handimplementevidence-basedstrategiesand function was linked to lower performance in keycompensatory techniques as part of routine cognitive areas, including memory, attention,MS care. Just as physical therapy helps restore and executive function. This indicates thatmovement, cognitive therapy can help preserve evensmall,subtlechangesinnemotorthinking, learning, and planning skills that skills serve as early warning signs of broaderare essential for independence, day-to-day neurological decline.function, and self-efficacy.For people living with MS, this has practicalLLooookkiinnggaahheeaadd::day-to-day implications. Tasks such as buttoningAAmmoorreehhoolliissttiiccaapppprrooaacchha shirt, typing on a keyboard, or preparing aLiving with MS means navigating a complex meal are not just reections of physical ability.set of symptoms, many of which are invisible They also signal cognitive health. This is anto others. Recognizing cognitive impairment importantcalltoactionforoccupationalas a core component of the disease, not a therapists, neurologists, healthcare workers,mere side-effect, can reshape how we design and caregivers alike, drawing attention tocare plans, support families, and promote observed changes in manual dexterity aslong-term well-being. A truly patient-centered potential indicators of the need for a morecare approach must integrate physical, comprehensive assessment.emotional, and cognitive health from the start. WWhhyytthhiissmmaatttteerrss With early screening, personalized therapy, f orrtthheeMMSSccoommmmuunniittyy and a greater understanding of how the mind foTaken together, our research supports aand body interact, we can offer individuals with growing consensus: cognitive function isMS vastly improved symptom management.7 msfocusmagazine.org'