Patchy areas of sensory loss are characteristic of which disease?

• A. Alzheimer’s disease
• B. Multiple Sclerosis
• C. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• D. Parkinson’s Disease

Answer: (B)

Patchy sensory loss arises when demyelinating lesions disrupt sensory pathways in discrete CNS regions. In multiple sclerosis, autoimmune attacks create separate plaques in different locations of the brain and spinal cord, so sensory symptoms appear in localized areas and can shift over time as new plaques form. This pattern—focal deficits in various areas at different times—fits MS well. By contrast, Alzheimer’s disease mainly causes cognitive decline with less prominent focal sensory loss; ALS is primarily a motor neuron disease with little early sensory involvement; Parkinson’s disease centers on movement with non-specific or less patchy sensory findings.