News New Clinical Study On Attention and Memory In People With MS New Clinical Study On Attention and Memory In People With MS by Patricia Silva, PhD | March 31, 2015 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link A major trial to investigate different ways to deal with attention and memory problems in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients will take place atĀ Nottingham in the United Kingdom.Ā The Cognitive Rehabilitation for Attention and Memory in people with Multiple Sclerosis (CRAMMS)Ā study will focusĀ on these MS related symptoms and will begin patient enrollment in April. The research team led byĀ Nadina Lincoln, a professor ofĀ Clinical Psychology in the Division of Rehabilitation and Aging at The University of Nottingham, and Roshan das Nairthe, consultant clinical psychologist at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and associate professor atĀ the University’s Division of Rehabilitation and Aging, willĀ investigate new therapeutic approaches to better understand theirĀ effectiveness to improve both attention and memory in people with MS. “The purpose of our research is to help people with multiple sclerosis boost their everyday memory so they can get on with their lives and do the things that people take for granted, for example remembering to pick their children up from school, turning the stove off, or knowing where they have put things,” explained Dr. Lincoln in aĀ press release.Ā “It will also provide them with strategies to enable them to concentrate on information without getting distracted.” [adrotate group=”4″] Attention and memory impairment are typical symptoms inĀ MS patients, withĀ approximately 50% of patients suffering from these conditions.Ā CRAMMS,Ā a project financed byĀ the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme, willĀ include 400 participants between the ages of 16 and 69 years old registered at NHS hospitals, rehabilitation centres, multiple sclerosis charities and web forums. Despite the fact that cognitive rehabilitation has been shown to be useful to improving attention and reducing memory problems, there are manyĀ MS patients that do not seek help. Furthermore, very few clinical studiesĀ demonstrate the effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation in MS patients. CRAMMS wantsĀ to provide evidence on the benefits ofĀ internal memory aids, includingĀ mnemonics and external aids likeĀ diaries, mobile phones and cameras. If the study’s results validate the benefits of cognitive rehabilitation, the team intends toĀ conduct further research to alter current NHS clinical practices. The researchers believe that studies such as these can complementĀ MS drug development and help people struggling with MS to manage the symptoms that directly impact their quality of life and productivity. Print This Page About the Author Patricia Silva, PhD PatrĆcia holds a PhD in medical microbiology and infectious diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisbon, Portugal. Her work in academia was mainly focused on molecular biology and the genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites. PatrĆcia earned several travel awards to present her work at international scientific meetings. She is a published author of several peer-reviewed science articles. Tags attention, memory, multiple sclerosis
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