News ACTRIMS 2016 Talk Weighs Clinical Differences, Similarities in 2 Major Forms of MS ACTRIMS 2016 Talk Weighs Clinical Differences, Similarities in 2 Major Forms of MS by Margarida Azevedo, MSc | February 19, 2016 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link Dr. Wayne Moore, from the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver General Hospital, will present an overview and analysis of the major histology and pathology aspects that characterize and differentiate relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and progressive forms of the disease, primary progressive MS (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS). The presentation aims to inform and clarify the similarities and differences between all the clinical expressions of multiple sclerosis. Dr. Moore’s presentation atĀ theĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016Ā Ā isĀ titled āThe Histopathology of RRMS versus Progressive MS: Distinctive and Overlapping Featuresā andĀ part of Session 3, āHighlights: Neuropathological Studies and Clinical Trials,āĀ Ā taking place on Friday, Feb.19. RRMS, the most common form of the disease, is characterized by clearly defined āattacksā of worsening neurological function followed by recovery periods (remissions), where symptoms ease or disappear and disease progression seems to slow or stop. The hallmark lesions of this disease course is MS plaque, a focal region of myelin loss in relapse followed by the remyelination during remission, a periodĀ also attributed to ion channel remodeling and loss of inflammation. Progressive MS comprises PPMS and SPMS, with the latter a new disease phase ofĀ RRMS. Ongoing research intoĀ progressive MS attributes the disease’s course to permanent changes in MS plaques, with ongoing demyelination and persistent inflammation. Moreover, clinical progression of progressive MS is attributed to axonal loss due to neurodegeneration, and also to changes in non-plaque white matter parenchyma and non-plaque gray matter. Several potential pathogenic mechanisms have been attributed to the neurodegeneration observed in progressive MS, including the immune and inflammatory response in plaques, a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier (allowing the entrance of toxic substances and pro-inflammatory cells), demyelination, sodium channel expression or insertion in axolemma (cell membrane surrounding the axon), and mitochondrial dysfunctions. PPMS and SPMS share a number of similarities, Dr. Moore said in his ACTRIMS abstract,Ā namely the frequency of cortical MS plaques and axonal loss. However, some features differ between the two types of progressive MS. For example, there are fewer cerebral white matter plaques in PPMS, and a greater degree of axonal loss in plaques and remyelination. The ACTRIMS 2016 program, titled “Progressive MS: From Bench to Bedside and Back,”Ā continuesĀ through Saturday, Feb. 20, in New Orleans. Print This Page About the Author Margarida Azevedo, MSc Margarida graduated with a BS in Health Sciences from the University of Lisbon and a MSc in Biotechnology from Instituto Superior TĆ©cnico (IST-UL). She worked as a molecular biologist research associate at a Cambridge UK-based biotech company that discovers and develops therapeutic, fully human monoclonal antibodies. Tags ACTRIMS, ACTRIMS Forum 2016, PPMS, RRMS, SPMS
April 18, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Sustained myelin, nerve cell gains with long-term CNM-Au8
April 18, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Ocrevus benefits Black, Hispanic patients same as whites
April 17, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Fertility treatment in MS doesn’t increase relapse risk