Working Memory and Cognitive Reserve Linked in MS Kessler Foundation Study

Any intervention that could help multiple sclerosis patients preserve long-term memory would likely be well-received. As suggested by a recent study from the Kessler Foundation, “Working Memory Mediates the Relationship Between Intellectual Enrichment and Long-term Memory in Multiple Sclerosis: An Exploratory Analysis of Cognitive Reserve,” one…

For a 23 year-old country girl from the University of Kentucky to go through the harsh demands of an American beauty pageant, there has to be an inspiration stemming from something more profound than a desire for world peace, a sash, and a shiny crown. Last month, on July 12th,…

The Oceans of Hope yacht, part of the Sailing Sclerosis Foundation project, has recently arrived in Boston after its transoceanic trip from Lisbon, the first by a crew of people with multiple sclerosis, announced the foundation through its webpage. The yacht, which started its sailing journey in…

Loss of myelin, the fatty protective sheath around nerve fibers, is a characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS). A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study by a team of researchers has determined that people with MS lose myelin in the gray matter of their brains, and that the amount of loss…

See below for the complete schedule for this year’s ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Multiple Sclerosis conference in Boston, and stay tuned to Multiple Sclerosis News throughout the week for continuing coverage on breaking science and research news for MS. For the past few weeks, Multiple Sclerosis News Today has been following the lead-up…

During the 30th Congress of the European Committee for Research and Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) taking place in Boston between September 10th and 13th, Genzyme, a Sanofi company, will present its multiple sclerosis (MS) pipeline with a new group of trial treatments for early development of MS.

Biogen Idec, one of the first true biotech companies specializing in products indicated for neurodegenerative diseases, hematologic conditions, and autoimmune disorders, is preparing to present over 90 poster presentations during this week’s 6th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting. The event is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, September 10th through Saturday the…

While multiple sclerosis is most typically associated with progressively declining physical ability, multiple sclerosis patients are often times affected by a number of physical and mental health comorbidities in addition to their worsening physical ability. This observation was highlighted by a group of researchers in Scotland led by Drs.

Those attending this week’s ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS convention set to take place on the 10th of September until the 13th in Boston, can expect Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to present promising findings on Gilenya (fingolimod) — the company’s leading oral formulation for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In previously completed studies and clinical trials,…

A new study, entitled, “Intestinal barrier dysfunction develops at the onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and can be induced by adoptive transfer of auto-reactive T cells” conducted at University of Lund, Sweden, published on PlosOne by the research group of Dr. Shahram Lavasani in collaboration with…

A novel therapeutic from GeNeuro to treat multiple sclerosis showed promising results in a one-year, open-label extension phase 2a clinical trial. GeNeuro tested its first-in-class GNbAC1 monoclonal antibody in ten multiple sclerosis patients, nine of whom have primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. “We are very excited by the…

A dynamic research team composed of doctors and scientists recently completed and published a study that sought to gain a better understanding of walking impairment, as it is manifested in patients living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease wherein the impulse-conducting myelin sheath is attacked by the body’s own…

Researchers from the University of Bristol have found a way of convert the function of cells into protecting the body instead of destroying healthy tissue, in what could be an important breakthrough for the treatment of debilitating autoimmune diseases in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body, like…

Novartis has announced that it will present new analyses and redefined treatment goals for multiple sclerosis (MS) at the 2014 Joint Americas and European Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Meeting (ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS), which is taking place in Boston, between September 10 and 13. Novartis claims to have…

In-vitro laboratory experiments using stem cells have long-since been the subject of debate between scientists and naturalists, but when it comes to developing effective methods to grow human cells and tissue for use in a potentially life-saving procedure or restoration of bodily function, researchers are increasingly more confident that…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted the abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for filing of a Glatiramer Acetate Injection for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Yoga improves the quality of life of patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis, as recently concluded during a study of its benefits in increasing mental health, concentration, bladder control, walking, balance, motor coordination and vision, as well as in decreasing pain and fatigue. Researchers from Rutgers’ School of Health Related Professions…

As researchers continue to develop a clearer understanding of the underlying causes of multiple sclerosis (MS), it is becoming increasingly apparent that the future of treating the disease is likely to center on neural protection and a reversal of the demyelination process that strips away the critical insulation…

A diet high in salt can worsen multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, as well as increase the risks of neurological deterioration, according to an observational study led by Mauricio Farez, from the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina and recently published at the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, entitled, “Sodium intake is associated with…

Recent research continues to suggest that MS is on the rise is countries that in the past posted small diagnoses of the disease. The latest study reveals that Multiple Sclerosis affects more second-generation Kuwaiti migrants than previously thought, according to an article published in BME Neurology. The findings…

Low dose naltrexone (LDN) may be on its way to becoming a new therapeutic agent for multiple sclerosis. Evidence for its efficacy in attenuating multiple sclerosis symptoms is scarce, but results of a phase 3 clinical trial, “A Randomized Placebo-Controlled, Crossover-Design Study of the Effects…

New research published online ahead of print in the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) journal Radiology on August 26, reports that a gaming accessory known as a balance board for the Nintendo Wii console may assist people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in reducing the risk of falling accidentally. Balance…

For many people such as attorney Richard Nenno from Delaware, joining a fundraising sport event stems from a highly personal mission. Despite being blind, Nenno plans to join next month’s Bike to the Bay event for multiple sclerosis (MS), and he will be doing it in memory of his…

The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) is considering a funding proposal that includes five treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), namely two key MS drugs,  Biogen‘s Tysabri and Novartis‘ Gilenya, that are not currently funded. PHARMAC is the New Zealand Crown agency that decides, on behalf of District…

According to new research published in European Journal of Neurology, susceptibility to multiple sclerosis may be predicted by looking at individuals’ protein profiles, otherwise known as proteomes. A team led by principal investigator Dr. S. Jacobson at the National Institutes of Health and Dr. M. T.

Fingolimod is a disease modifying therapy (DMT) used to treat relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients as well as patients who continue to present with relapses despite treatment with beta interferon drugs, and is the first oral medication to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug…

Biogen Idec, a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hematologic conditions and autoimmune disorders, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PLEGRIDYTM (peginterferon beta-1a), a new treatment for people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis…

New Zealand and  Australian-based biotechnology company Innate Immunotherapeutics recently announced that it has begun to recruit patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) for its phase 2B trial of its experimental therapy MIS416. The study, which will be administered by the Western Australian…

Welsh health minister Mark Drakeford has announced that Wales has become the first UK country to authorize a cannabis-based medicine under its National Health Service. Sativex, a proprietary oral spray cannabinoid medicine that has been licensed in the UK to treat muscle spasms and stiffness in people…

While the majority of scientists dedicated to multiple sclerosis research focus on genetic regulators of conditions such as autoimmunity, demyelination, inflammation, and neurodegeneration, a team from the University of Lubeck in Germany, led by Saleh M. Ibrahim, MD, PhD, focuses on genetic regulators of conduction velocity. The team is uncovering…