News

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…

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…

Six months of treatment with foralumab nasal spray led to significant functional improvements in the second patient with non-active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who received treatment under a single-patient expanded access program. Findings from this patient have been generally consistent with those seen in the first non-active SPMS…

Ten weeks of lower limb fast-velocity concentric resistance training (FVCRT) led to muscle strength gains in both the upper and lower limbs in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. This form of resistance training, which requires muscles to be maximally contracted as quickly as possible…

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…

Prexasertib, a small molecule inhibitor that’s been tested in clinical trials for cancer, may represent a new strategy for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative conditions, a study found. The compound, which inhibits the checkpoint kinase (Chk2) protein, was found to promote nerve cell survival and regeneration after…

Using wearable sensors to monitor gait during daily life may be a promising way to identify people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have a greater risk of falling, a study found. The study identified a number of gait differences between those who fell in the year and those who…

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…

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…

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) — commonly called stem cell therapy — lessens fatigue and improves quality of life in people with highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small study in Lithuania. These gains in the physical and social domains of quality of life…

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…

Infection with the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) does not appear to protect against the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), a review study has found. However, when researchers focused on studies that used microscopic assessments of tissue instead of other diagnostic methods to detect H. pylori, their data…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who report higher levels of fatigue are more likely to have lower performance scores in tests that evaluate cognitive skills, a study from Ireland suggests. Specifically, poor verbal learning abilities, visual-spatial memory, and information processing speed (IPS) were associated with higher levels of self-reported…

More than half of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients in a small study had active inflammatory brain lesions during a relapse, even when relapse symptoms occurred outside the brain, in areas including the spinal cord or optic nerve, researchers in Spain reported. Less than half of the patients with…

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…

Differences are evident in the perceived frequency of expressions of support needs and disease burden between people with  multiple sclerosis (MS) and their life partners, a Swiss study found. People without MS responded in a survey to feeling their partners’ communication about these issues was more frequent than the…

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…

Nearly two-thirds of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) report disease progression independent of relapses, according to a survey involving more than 4,500 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in Germany. This finding supports evidence pointing to progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) as an underestimated contributing factor in RRMS.

A type of blood-cleansing process called immunoadsorption worked better than a second round of methylprednisolone for treating relapse in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who failed to respond to a first, standard cycle of the corticosteroid, a study found. Among people with relapsing MS, immunoadsorption also was associated with…

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…

The 11 active tests of the dreaMS smartphone app — which evaluates functional domains affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) — enabled reliable and remote measurement of neurologic functions and were perceived as meaningful among MS patients, a small trial shows. Data collected through the app could offer a…

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,…

Off-label use of high-efficacy disease modifying therapies (DMTs) for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) appear to be as effective as on-label, or approved, DMTs for this MS patient group, a review study from Brazil suggests. The meta-analysis, which included data from controlled clinical trials, found that…

Three months of once-weekly sessions of high-intensity resistance training — consisting of strength exercises followed by a short recovery between sets — effectively eased fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experiencing low energy and tiredness, a trial in Sweden shows. This intervention also lessened feelings of depression and anxiety,…

Doctors typically prescribe medications to help manage symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), but a veteran nonprofit focuses on a little-known, much-overlooked part of treatment: therapeutic adventuring. First Descents was founded in 2001 to bring free outdoor activities to young adults with cancer. After a successful pilot study,…

The Accelerated Cure Project (ACP) for multiple sclerosis (MS) is teaming up with Quest Diagnostics to study how MS patients respond to COVID-19 vaccines. “Understanding the immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine doses in a longer-term study in people with MS will provide tremendous insights into not…

Combining blood and imaging biomarkers might help clinicians better predict cognitive impairment in people with early multiple sclerosis (MS) than using either one alone, a new study suggests. Researchers found that using the two together worked better to predict information processing speed than did either blood or MRI biomarkers…

An extended interval between maintenance doses of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) may increase the risk of MRI-based disease activity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a real-world, multicenter study in Italy. In fact, an extended interval dosing (by one month or longer) was associated with a fivefold higher risk…

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…

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…