Patricia Inacio, PhD, science writer —

New research in mice suggests that poor recycling of cholesterol in the brain impairs the repair of myelin, the protective coat surrounding nerve cells that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). Pharmacological stimulation of cholesterol synthesis by brain immune cells — called microglia — boosted the regeneration of myelin,…

The levels of a protein called Neuregulin-1 beta 1 (Nrg-1beta1) decline with the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. The findings support the potential of Nrg-1beta1 as a predictor of MS risk and progression and suggest that restoring its levels may help halt disease…

Despite having more severe first and second relapses, children with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) tend to recover better than adults with the disease, according to a study. Better recovery in children may be linked to the activation of genes that, in turn, impair the activation of immune cells driving…

Adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) have lower levels of fitness compared with healthy teenagers of the same age and a sex, a study suggests. Findings also demonstrated that among younger MS patients, higher levels of fitness were associated with lower disease activity and disability. The study “Youth with…

Women who have never given birth are more likely to develop early onset of progressive multiple sclerosis, according to a new study, which also found that a woman’s number of pregnancies showed a positive effect in delaying the disease. In addition, entering menopause earlier, before the age of 46,…

Progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) is the focus of the 2020 virtual European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP) annual meeting that runs though Friday, Nov. 20. Registration is free for the two-day conference. Those interested in participating can register here. According to a EMSP press release, topics to be discussed include the most…

Note: This story was updated Aug. 17, 2021, to note that T.gondii infection is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, not a protective factor.  Toxoplasmosis, an infection by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, may confer a certain level of protection against multiple sclerosis (MS), according…

The brain volume of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) undergoes a dynamic cycle of enlargement and contractions, a new study shows. Patients with a lower volume (contractions) had less severe MS and a shorter disease duration, the study found. Overall, these findings suggest that frequent monitoring of the…

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny sacs released from myelin-producing cells called oligodendrocytes, may help dampen the immune system’s attack against myelin, whose loss is the hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new mouse study shows. The findings suggest that oligodendrocytes-released EVs could work as an universal immunotherapy for MS…

A pathway controlled by three proteins — Daam2, Nedd4, and VHL — was identified by researchers as a key regulator of myelin production during central nervous system development and regeneration after injury. Myelin, the protective fatty layer that covers nerve fibers and helps to speed transmission of signals between nerve cells,…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are among the high-risk groups advised to avoid dental amalgams — silver-colored fillings that are 50% mercury — under new recommendations issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Amalgams can be used by dentists to restore the structure and surfaces of teeth damaged by decay.

Dutch Amarna Therapeutics announced a research collaboration with Spanish Progreso y Salud Foundation (FPS) to investigate the efficacy of its gene therapy delivery technology in multiple sclerosis (MS) and diabetes. MS is thought to be caused by immune-mediated inflammation that damages myelin — an insulating sheath around nerve…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a higher burden of mental disorders than healthy people or people with rheumatoid arthritis, a French population-based study suggests. The study, “Prevalence of mental disorders is higher in patients with multiple sclerosis than in the general population or in patients with…

Immune B-cells are more abundant and have a pro-inflammatory profile in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that bathes the central nervous system,  compared to blood in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study reports. The results suggest that therapeutic strategies targeting the CSF B-cells could constitute a…

Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) recover more quickly and “significantly better” from relapses than do adults — patients with disease onset at age 18 or older, researchers reported. The study, “Improved relapse recovery in paediatric compared to adult multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Brain. Relapses and…

Mavenclad (cladribine) appears to be better at lowering relapse rates during the first two years of disease in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients than other MS therapies, including interferon, Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), a head-to-head observational study found. Mavenclad, however, was less effective at…

Genetic variants may contribute to increased levels of antibodies against proteins of the Epstein-Barr virus — a known environmental risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) — in MS patients and their siblings, a study suggests. The study, “EBNA-1 titer gradient in families with multiple sclerosis indicates a…

The degree to which people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are conscientious — a personality trait that reflects responsibility, organization, and goal-oriented skills — in their work habits can help to predict their employment status in three years, according to a survey of 70 MS patients. A study based on…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, compared to healthy controls. Also, patients categorized as non-cognitive fatigue show a higher variability in cortisol levels and perform worse on an attention task. Those findings are documented in the study, “Relation between cognitive fatigue and circadian…

About 20%, or 1 in 5, multiple sclerosis (MS) patients fail to adhere to oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) taken each day, and about 1 in 4 stop using a prescribed daily oral treatment within one year, a study based on reported real-world use found. The study “Real-world adherence to,…

Drinking coffee each day appears to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and milder disability and fatigue, with this patient group reporting in a questionnaire that caffeine allowed them to better concentrate on tasks and broaden their attention spans, a study reports. Its researchers suggest that “for selected patients” regular coffee…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who exercise regularly are able to maintain volume in the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for learning and memory, a study reports. This work “adds to the growing body of evidence that exercise has many benefits for people with MS,” the National MS…

The debilitating mental fatigue that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can feel after a cognitively demanding task may be due to less efficient use of the brain, a pilot study that mapped brain activity during tasks suggests. The study “Neural mechanisms underlying state mental fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a…

Disability appears to mostly accumulate in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a progressive manner — rather than being due to relapses, a pooled analysis of patients in two Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) clinical trials shows. These findings, indicating that disease progression underlies relapsing MS as well,…

Switching to Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) within a relatively short period is a safe and effective option for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who stop treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab), a small and retrospective analysis suggests. With a median washout period of six weeks between therapies, the 28 patients in this study…

Loss of myelin in nerve cell fibers — the hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) — leads to a shortage of mitochondria, a cell’s powerhouse, denying these damaged fibers the energy they need to work as intended, a new study shows. Boosting the migration of mitochondria to affected nerve…

A person infected through the skin by the hookworm Necator americanus shows a spike in  regulatory T-cells, specialized immune T-cells that work to limit inflammation, and a controlled infection by these generally safe worms may benefit some relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, research suggests. “The…

Five people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who tested positive for COVID-19 while being treated with Aubagio (teriflunomide)  all developed a mild infection, had good outcomes, and experienced no disease relapses, a case study reported. These findings suggest that use of Aubagio, a disease-modifying therapy that acts on the immune system,…

An inflammatory environment can turn astrocytes, key supportive cells for neurons, into their killers, fostering the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. This work, led by researchers at the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), created for a first time astrocytes derived…

Tweaking the protective properties of the gut mucus, a layer lining the inside of the gut, to boost the proliferation of good bacteria potentially could halt the development of neurological disorders, like multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of more than 100 studies. The review, “…