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Brain Sciences
Special Issues
Neuropsychological Impact and Quality of Life in Chronic Illness
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Neuropsychological Impact and Quality of Life in Chronic Illness

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuropsychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 1311

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nicoletta Ciccarelli

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Guest Editor
Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University, Como, Italy
Interests: CNS and HIV; neuropsychological examination; cognitive screening and quality of life after stroke; dementia; Parkinson’s disease
Dr. Elisa Pini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fondazione Poliambulanza Hospital, 25124 Brescia, Italy
Interests: neuropsychological assessment; cognitive impairment; cognitive stimulation; early neuropsychological assessment in stroke patients; neuropsychological assessment in Parkinson’s disease; cognitive stimulation in Parkinson’s disease; quality of life in neurological patients

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

People with chronic diseases may experience poor cognitive functions and a significant reduction in quality of life due to advanced age, the disease itself, or comorbid conditions. The prevalence of chronically ill persons is increasing as our population gets older and thanks to the continuous implementation of new therapeutic options. Chronic diseases include a lot of different conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers in long-term follow up, HIV infection, autoimmune, and degenerative diseases. There is active research within this perspective and an increasing interest in accruing data that examine the person-centered care strategy.

This Special Issue aims to collect the latest evidence about cognitive functioning and quality of life in all kinds of chronic diseases, focusing on the early screening of symptoms, new tools for neuropsychological evaluation, and measuring different domains of quality of life, and the role of individual differences and social support. These findings may help to develop guidelines and effective interventions to manage cognitive symptoms and improve the quality of life in the long-term care of patients.

We cordially invite original clinical works as well as review articles regarding the above-mentioned cutting-edge topics for contribution in this Special Issue of Brain Sciences.

Dr. Nicoletta Ciccarelli
Dr. Elisa Pini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • chronic disease
  • HIV
  • cancer
  • cardiovascular disease
  • neurodegeneration
  • aging
  • cognitive impairment
  • cognitive evaluation
  • quality of life
  • patient reported outcome (PRO) measures

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 674 KiB  
Article
Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis Compared to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Fatigue and Fast Disease Progression Interferes with the Ability to Psychosocially Adjust
by Luisa T. Balz, Ingo Uttner, Jochen Weishaupt, Albert C. Ludolph, Daniela Taranu, Ioannis Vardakas, Stefanie Jung, Tanja Fangerau, Deborah K. Erhart, Makbule Senel, Hayrettin Tumani and Dorothée E. Lulé
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(7), 745; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15070745 - 11 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex neurological disease that is associated with a broad spectrum of physical and psychological symptoms. Psychosocial adjustment (PSA) refers to the ability to cope with these challenges, which influence quality of life (QoL) and depressiveness in [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex neurological disease that is associated with a broad spectrum of physical and psychological symptoms. Psychosocial adjustment (PSA) refers to the ability to cope with these challenges, which influence quality of life (QoL) and depressiveness in ways not yet fully understood. This study explores the relationship of PSA and disease-specific symptoms in MS, including fatigue, a prominent MS symptom. Additionally, PSA was compared to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) to disentangle the impact of disease trajectory on PSA. Methods: We interviewed 77 MS patients using patient-reported outcome measures on QoL and depression and compared them to 30 ALS patients. Confirmatory factor analysis and regression analysis were used to identify PSA indicators and predictors in MS, while t-tests assessed PSA differences across diseases. Results: Key PSA indicators in MS included physical (PQoL), mental (MQoL), and subjective (SQoL) quality of life, as well as depressiveness, with cognitive and motor fatigue emerging as significant predictors. MS patients had higher PQoL and SQoL and lower levels of depression compared to ALS patients, while both groups were comparable with regard to MQoL. Conclusions: PSA in MS is supported by high QoL and low depression levels, with fatigue being a significant predictor. Despite different disease trajectories, patients with MS and ALS showed comparable MQoL, indicating that both diseases similarly impact mental QoL, reflecting a partial overlap in psychosocial adjustment. Overall, psychosocial adjustment was more favorable in MS, likely due to its slower disease progression compared to ALS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuropsychological Impact and Quality of Life in Chronic Illness)
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16 pages, 277 KiB  
Article
Sleep Disorders Are Associated with Mental Health, Quality of Life and Stigma in an Italian Cohort of People Living with HIV
by Valentina Massaroni, Valentina Delle Donne, Francesca Lombardi, Arturo Ciccullo, Valentina Iannone, Pierluigi Francesco Salvo, Daniela Pia Rosaria Chieffo, Valentina Arcangeli, Nicoletta Ciccarelli and Simona Di Giambenedetto
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(4), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15040332 - 23 Mar 2025
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Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess sleep quality in people living with HIV (PLWH), and to examine how the sleep sphere interacts with mental health, quality of life and internalized stigma. Methods: A total of 250 PLWH were consecutively [...] Read more.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess sleep quality in people living with HIV (PLWH), and to examine how the sleep sphere interacts with mental health, quality of life and internalized stigma. Methods: A total of 250 PLWH were consecutively enrolled during routine outpatient visits. Each participant completed a 67-item questionnaire. Sleep disturbances were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to measure the mental health status. The Short Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaire was used to measure participants’ quality of life. Internalized HIV-related stigma was evaluated using the modified six-item internalized AIDS-related stigma scale. Results: Many of the PLWH were male (69.2%) and the time between HIV diagnosis and first antiretroviral therapy (ART) was over 10 years (69.2% and 64%, respectively). The PSQI component most-cited as problematic by PLWH was habitual sleep efficiency (52.4%). In multivariate analysis models, a higher mean in the PSQI total score was significantly associated with internalized stigma (mean change 1.10), depression (mean change 6. 20), anxiety (mean change 12.15), stress (mean change 6.24), physical (mean change 7.54) and mental (mean change 3.56) quality of life, health status (mean change −6.04), ART adherence (mean change −5.08) and physical activity (mean change −6.20). Conclusions: Our results confirm the role of sleep quality in both mental and physical health and suggest that sleep disorders might also be a significant indicator of psychosocial challenges faced by PLWH. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuropsychological Impact and Quality of Life in Chronic Illness)
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