For National Physical Therapy Month, Helius Medical Technologies is spotlighting physical therapists who make possible the success of the company’s portable neuromodulation stimulator (PONS) device to treat gait problems in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Helius will broaden access to its free online PoNS training program by enabling…
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The levels of two cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, CHI3L1 and CXCL13, were significantly elevated in people with relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) relative to control groups without this disease, and are most likely to predict how relapsing MS will progress, a study reported. Higher levels of these biomarkers were also…
A protein called spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) is critical for microglia, the brain’s immune cells, to clear the toxic debris that accumulates in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders, a mouse model study shows. “We have discovered a master controller of the cell type and processes that are…
A research team at Marquette University has received a $3.34 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test whether high-intensity exercise on a “shaky” treadmill — one that moves unexpectedly — can help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) retain a sense of balance and walk faster. The…
EHP-101, an experimental treatment being clinically tested for multiple sclerosis (MS), activates a cellular signaling pathway that promotes blood vessel development and reduces inflammation following brain injury, a new study shows. The findings continue to support the use of EHP-101 in MS, a condition marked by excess inflammation and…
High adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of disability outcomes, as well as reported disease symptoms, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. The data provide important information for further studies to guide clinical recommendations in MS. The study, “Mediterranean…
Jasmine Iona Brown was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2003 when she was pregnant with her son. Since then, the 50-year-old Tacoma, Washington, teacher has faced a number of challenges related to her MS diagnosis — fatigue, nerve pain, and cognitive issues. Her family, Brown said, was neither…
GoodRx, in collaboration with Biogen, has made the enrollment form for starting a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient on Vumerity (diroximel fumarate) available on its new “Provider Mode” digital platform. By adding the electronic enrollment form, the company hopes doctors will be able to prescribe their patients Vumerity more…
People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) have lower cholesterol levels in their blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, compared with those without MS, a study reports. These lower cholesterol levels might correlate with a more…
Blood levels of nesfatin-1, irisin, adropin, and preptin — all regulatory hormones known to control energy balance — are significantly reduced in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients relative to healthy people, a small study showed. While the implications of these findings remain unclear, the…
A new tool that analyzes gait, or walking patterns, of people on a treadmill — using video recordings from a simple digital camera — is able to accurately identify those with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study showed. Scientists said the gait-analysis tool may be a low-cost and easy-to-use way…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are significantly more likely to have antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) — the strongest risk factor for the disease — than healthy individuals, as well as higher levels of these antibodies, according to a Spanish study. All MS patients were positive for anti-EBV…
NexImmune is working with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to develop cell therapies for people with immunological disorders associated with certain viral infections, namely the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). A history of infection with EBV — mostly…
Data passively collected by smartphone apps and fitness trackers can be used to accurately predict the risk of depression, severe fatigue, poor sleep quality, and symptom worsening in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) when in-person health visits are suddenly limited. These are the findings of a small study that…
The risk of transitioning from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) declined significantly after the introduction of disease-modifying therapies (DMT), according to a large nationwide Swedish study. Data showed that SPMS conversion risk rose by 3% each year before the first generation of…
Among children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) resulted in less disease activity on MRI scans and fewer relapses, compared with Avonex (interferon beta-1a), according to new data from the CONNECT Phase 3 trial. Researchers noted the lack of disease-modifying therapies…
Neurologists in Colombia agree that sexual dysfunction is burdensome and affects quality of life in major ways for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but some still don’t ask their patients about it, a survey study reported. Findings also revealed that many neurologists there do not use formal tools…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who started taking Tysabri (natalizumab) long after their diagnosis were found to have worsened disease progression. But those who began using it earlier showed less aggravated clinical and radiological outcomes of the disease than participants who started treatment later, a study showed. The study,…
A novel tracer designed to detect myelin loss in PET scans — imaging tests that use a radioactive substance, called a tracer, to look for disease in the body — showed a good safety profile in a small first-in-human study. Scientists say this new tracer could potentially help in evaluating…
mSteps, a new phone app, could be used to precisely measure the outdoor walking distance of people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study shows. The study, “The mSteps pilot study: Analysis of the distance walked using a novel smartphone application in multiple sclerosis,” was published in…
XRHealth‘s virtual reality (VR) software, which provides an immersive three-dimensional environment where patients do repetitive tasks such as popping a balloon with a sword, is safe and feasible for upper limb training among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent pilot study. Participants generally felt engaged…
Electrical stimulation of the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp may ease some measures of spasticity for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to results from a small clinical trial. Using this novel route of brain stimulation was shown to impact muscle contractions in patients with spasticity…
Evaluating a person’s sense of smell may help monitor disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. Almost a third of MS patients studied showed signs of smell loss in clinical evaluations and the degree of impairment correlated with clinical measures of disease, such…
The presence of iron rim lesions, which are regions of chronic inflammation seen on MRI scans, may be linked to a more severe disease course in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. The findings suggest the presence and number of iron rim lesions could serve…
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) reduces markers of nerve fiber and myelin damage in people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to a small study done in Sweden. “We investigated if therapeutic intervention with aHSCT could halt the injurious process leading to tissue damage in MS,” researchers wrote.
Bionic clothing innovator Cionic has received $12.5 million to further develop a platform that produces wearable, artificial intelligence-powered garments for people with mobility issues. The platform has helped create the Neural Sleeve, a leg-worn garment that enables people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) to become more…
Guar gum, a type of dietary fiber that can be taken as a supplement, lessened inflammation and disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports. While fiber-rich diets have long been recommended to improve overall health, these findings help pinpoint which fibers have…
Treatment with interferon beta (IFN-beta) — a disease-modifying therapy that lowers inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) — was found to restore the ability of blood vessels in the brain to dilate following a stimulus. A new study suggests that this ability, called cerebrovascular reactivity or CVR, is reduced…
A quick MRI-based method called SyMRI may be useful in future clinical trials to test experimental myelin-repairing therapies in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. The study, “Quantification of individual remyelination during short-term disease course by synthetic magnetic resonance imaging,” was published in Brain…
The Overall Disability Response Score, a combination of three different assessments of disability, could be used to more accurately evaluate the effectiveness of treatments in multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical trials, a new study illustrates. The score is composed of three measures commonly used to assess disability in MS, which…