Understanding fatigue in multiple sclerosis: new insights in causes and assessment

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms encountered in multiple sclerosis (MS), and research is continuously improving the knowledge and assessment of this specific field. There are growing and clear indications that an important role in determining fatigue is played by ‘central’ abnormalities and dysfunctions. Recent studies have focused on the correlations between diffuse axonal damage, brain atrophy and fatigue. New innovative scales are available to measure fatigue, and the nature of the relationship between depression and fatigue in MS is still under debate.