September 27, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Dual Cognitive, Motor Tasks More Difficult Even in Early MS Stages Even in early stages of disease, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly experience more difficulties performing cognitive and motor tasks simultaneously than do people without MS, a new study indicates. The study, “Cognitive-motor interference in people with mild to moderate multiple sclerosis, in comparison with healthy…
September 26, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Pregnancy Risks Not Likely to Rise With Early DMT Use, Study Finds The rates of pregnancy complications are not higher in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were using disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in the earliest stages of pregnancy, a study reported. The study, “Pregnancy outcomes after early fetal exposure to injectable first-line treatments, dimethyl fumarate or natalizumab in…
September 23, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Survival Much Higher for Patients Who Take DMTs as Directed: Study The likelihood of survival is about 7.5 times higher for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who take their disease-modifying treatments as directed compared with those who do not, an analysis of data from U.S. veterans shows. The study, “Impact of Adherence with Disease-Modifying Therapies on All-Cause…
September 22, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Robot-assisted Training for Arms Well-received by MS Patients A robot-assisted training program that uses game-like activities to improve upper limb function was met with high satisfaction and enjoyment by people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a small study has found. Most of the participants reported the intervention improved their ability to do day-to-day activities, such as using a…
September 22, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS GA Depot Reduces Relapse Rates in Phase 3 Clinical Trial Treatment with GA Depot, an experimental long-acting form of glatiramer acetate that requires less frequent dosing than approved formulations, significantly reduced relapse rates among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to top-line results from a Phase 3 clinical trial. “We are pleased with the topline…
September 20, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Thalamic Atrophy Moderates Ties Between Fitness, Cognition: Study In people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who show atrophy in a brain region called the thalamus, aerobic fitness is strongly correlated with standardized assessments of cognition and walking ability. However, these associations are not seen for MS patients who don’t have atrophy in the thalamus, according to a new…
September 19, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gut Bacteria Are Altered in MS, Linked to Disease Progression The composition of bacteria in the gut is altered in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients compared with healthy people in the same household, a new study reports. That bacterial composition is affected by disease-modifying therapies and seems to be associated with disease severity. These findings could aid in developing…
September 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS NurOwn Found Safe, Shows Promise in Phase 2 Trial for Progressive MS NurOwn, a stem cell therapy being developed by BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, showed a good safety profile among people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in an open-label Phase 2 clinical trial, according to new data. The data show the experimental therapy also was associated with promising effects on…
September 15, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study Supports Approved MS Dosage of Ponvory With No Adjustments The approved dosage of the multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy Ponvory (ponesimod) — 20 mg taken by mouth once daily — is appropriate for all adults with relapsing forms of MS, a new analysis of data from the OPTIMUM Phase 3 trial found. That analysis showed there was no…
September 13, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS T-cells Targeting Epstein-Barr Virus at High Levels in MS Patients People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have significantly more T-cells equipped with receptors that specifically recognize the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) than do healthy individuals, a study revealed. Notably, no such differences were detected for T-cells with receptors specifically against other viruses. These findings add to previous data highlighting EBV infection…
September 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Soft Inner Layer Surrounding Brain May Be MS Target, Study Finds In multiple sclerosis (MS), disease-causing immune T-cells enter the brain and spinal cord through the protective soft membranes covering them, called the leptomeninges, a new study shows. The findings “suggest that patients with MS could benefit from immunomodulatory therapies that target the leptomeninges,” the researchers wrote, noting these surrounding…
September 9, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Tysabri Improves Cognition Over Long-term in Early RRMS Patients Long-term treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly improves cognitive function and increases the chance of disability reduction in people with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from the four-year observational STRIVE trial. Patients on Tysabri also reported improved quality of life and less impact of MS on…
September 8, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS High-efficacy DMTs Boost Mid-term Prognosis for Relapsing MS: Study People with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) or Gilenya (fingolimod) are less likely to have disease activity than those on low-efficacy MS medications, according to a small study conducted in Japan. Results also showed that patients receiving the high-efficacy therapies had less brain shrinkage,…
September 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS More Microscopic Brain Damage Seen in SPMS Than in RRMS People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) have more microscopic damage in normal-appearing brain tissue than do patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a new imaging study. These patients also have a greater number of chronic active lesions than those with RRMS. “Using advanced diffusion MRI…
September 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Review Showcases Inconsistencies in MS Auditory, Vestibular Research Abnormalities in the auditory and vestibular systems, which control hearing and balance, are frequently reported among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study found. However, there is a substantial amount of variability in scientific studies that assess these abnormalities, making it difficult to draw an overarching conclusion about…
August 31, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Approved Corticosteroid Medrysone Prompts Myelin Repair in Mice Treatment with medrysone, a glucocorticoid approved in the U.S. as a topical treatment for certain inflammatory eye diseases, improved repair of myelin in a mouse model of demyelination, a new study shows. The results suggest medrysone may be a useful treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), which is…
August 30, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Targeting Protein Could Protect Nerve Cells via Blood-CNS Barrier The protective barrier that prevents cells and large molecules from crossing into the central nervous system (CNS) is known to be unusually “leaky” in multiple sclerosis (MS), but targeting a protein called ARF6 can help to stabilize this barrier, a study in mouse models of MS found. Such a treatment…
August 29, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ublituximab’s Benefits Over Aubagio Seen in ULTIMATE Clinical Trials Treatment with the experimental B-cell depleting therapy ublituximab significantly outperformed Aubagio (teriflunomide) at reducing relapse rates and the number of lesions in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to updated data from the Phase 3 ULTIMATE clinical trials. The two medications had comparable effects…
August 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Aquatic Exercise Found to Ease Fatigue, Improve Balance in MS Aquatic exercise therapy can help to ease fatigue and improve balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), without notable side effects, according to a review of published studies. These findings have important implications for MS patients, as fatigue is among the main symptoms of the disease and…
August 23, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Global Prevalence of SPMS Estimated, But Seen to Vary Widely Worldwide, about 22 in every 100,000 people live with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a review study analyzing data across various countries reported. Its researchers found substantial variability in SPMS rates country-by-country, with countries closer to the poles generally reporting higher prevalence than those near the equator. Rates also…
August 19, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Researchers Share Strategies to Improve Clinical Trial Recruitment Publicity in national news outlets and an online self-screening questionnaire helped improve recruitment for a clinical trial in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a new study highlights. “We have described our experience of recruiting participants with SPMS into two large RCTs [randomized clinical trials] in order to identify areas…
August 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Healthy Connections in Brain May Be Needed for Cognitive Rehab People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who responded to cognitive rehabilitation showed healthier connections between certain brain regions on functional MRI scans than did MS patients who did not respond to the rehab program, a new study reports. These results indicate that certain brain regions need to be working…
August 15, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Early Detection of Pseudobulbar Affect May Help Ease MS Symptom In its inaugural issue, a publication from The Gerontological Society of America provides information about recognizing and managing pseudobulbar affect — uncontrolled outbursts of crying or laughing that the authors say are one of the most “underrecognized and undertreated” symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions. The…
August 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Ideals on Masculinity May Guide Health Behaviors in Men With MS Men with multiple sclerosis (MS) show differences in health-related behaviors based on how much they value certain masculine ideals, according to a new study that suggests possible negative effects of masculinity in terms of seeking medical care. Results from the study — which specifically focused on white males in…
August 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Anti-CD20 Therapies Help Mount T-cell Response to COVID-19 Vaccines People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are on therapies that deplete antibody-producing B-cells can mount an effective T-cell immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, a new study shows. The findings suggest that the vaccines strongly activate other parts of the immune system that are helpful in fighting the virus,…
August 10, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Leg Nerve Stimulation Feasible, May Help With Overactive Bladder in MS Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (TTNS), a procedure sending an electric current through the skin to nerves in the legs, is generally safe and feasible in people with overactive bladder due to multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a proof-of-concept study. Though the study was not designed to test the efficacy…
August 9, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS Patients Miss Work Nearly 2 Times as Often, US Study Finds People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are absent from their places of employment nearly twice as often as individuals without the neurodegenerative disease, according to a new study based on U.S. data. The results also showed missing work is significantly more common for MS patients who are unmarried, experience…
August 8, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study Shares Successful Recruitment Strategies for MS Exercise Trial By engaging a variety of stakeholders from across the multiple sclerosis (MS) community, researchers in the U.S. Deep South were able to enroll more than 800 patients to a clinical trial in just over two years in what’s considered the largest study of an exercise intervention in MS patients…
August 5, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New 3D Brain Map May Help in Disease Management: Study A team of researchers has created a three-dimensional (3D) map of the lymphatic vessels that drain the brain, and demonstrated that these vessels are organized similarly in mice and in humans. The researchers propose measuring these vessels using MRI scans could “allow longitudinal imaging of disease progression that may be…
August 4, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS X Chromosome Gene Variations Tied to 20 Times Higher MS Risk in Women Variations in more than a dozen genes on the sex-determining X chromosome are more common among those with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in the general population, according to an analysis of nearly 500,000 people in the U.K. Many of these genes are known to play roles in biological processes…