February 8, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Non-invasive MEG scan can predict cognitive therapy outcomes in MS A non-invasive scan that measures network activity across the brain was able to predict the outcomes of behavioral therapies designed to improve cognitive function in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study demonstrates. Brain network function, as assessed by the test, called magnetoencephalography (MEG), “could play an important role…
November 17, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New Test Reveals Slower Signals Between Brain Regions in Patients Using a new approach to track signals traveling between different brain regions, researchers found that these signals are slower in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), even in regions with no apparent disease-related damage, a new study reports. The approach may help complement MRI findings to determine the extent of…
January 23, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Memory Training Could Make Brains of MS Patients More Efficient, Study Suggests People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who complete training through a method called the modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT) show a decrease in brain activity after training, which could indicate more efficient brain processing, a recent study shows. The study, “Brain activation patterns associated with paragraph…
July 27, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Columbia University Researchers Record Action of Receptor Linked to Neurodegenerative Diseases The neurotransmitter glutamate triggers most brain signals by activating proteins on the surface of neurons called glutamate receptors. Columbia University Medical Center researchers have taken the first 3D images of the AMPA-subtype glutamate receptors involved in several brain activities, including memory and learning. By increasing scientists' understanding of how the receptors work, the images could offer insight into the role that faulty receptors play in the development of neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimerās, and Parkinsonās. And that insight could lead to therapies. āWith our new findings, we can now, for the first time, visualize how the neurotransmitter glutamate opens glutamate receptor ion channels,ā Dr. Alexander Sobolevsky, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia, said in a news release. āThis is the fundamental process that directly affects learning and memory, and finding its structural determinants has been the primary goal of molecular neuroscience since the ā90s," added Sobolevsky, the senior author of the study. For the brain to work properly, neurons need to communicate with each other. To do that, they use neurotransmitters, small compounds that pass from one cell to a receptor on another cell. Glutamate is the neurotransmitter involved in many of these communications, and glutamate receptors are the structures that gather up many of the signals. Several types of glutamate receptors participate in cognitive functions. AMPA receptors ā a subgroup of glutamate receptors ā are known for their fast activity, opening and closing in less than a millisecond. Because they work so fast, they are involved in rapid brain responses, such as rapid perception and reaction to the surrounding environment. For years, researchers have tried to understand how AMPA receptors work. In previous studies, Sobolevsky's team learned how the receptors regulated both the speed and strength of cell communications. In the recent study, the researchers used advanced imaging techniques developed by Dr. Joachim Frank to record the actions of the AMPA receptors. Frank, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, and biological sciences, was a co-author of the study. The images showed that AMPA receptors open in the presence of glutamate or a similar signaling compound. The mechanism can be compared to a cameraās iris, or aperture. The signaling particles pass through the opening, triggering electrical signals necessary for brain activity. āThese new fundamental discoveries have implications for our understanding of neurotransmission by glutamate, our brainās major neurotransmitter,ā said Edward C. Twomey, a Ph.D. candidate who was the first author of the study. āUnderstanding these processes will impact future studies on glutamate receptor signaling in neurodegenerative diseases as well as drug design.ā
February 21, 2017 Social Clips by Marta Ribeiro What is Brain Fog? Brain fog is one of the most common symptoms of many chronic illnesses, includingĀ lupus, multiple sclerosis andĀ fibromyalgia. In this Mind Over Meniere’s video, Glenn describes how brain fog affects him on a daily basis. Discover some Pilates exercises suitable for multiple sclerosis patients.Ā Brain fog is more…
January 10, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Magnetic Stimulation of the Brain May Aid Working Memory in MS Patients Repeated magnetic stimulation of the brain may help to rebuild the brain’s network in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to improved working memory, researchers reported. But more studies are necessary to confirm the procedure’s safety and efficacy as a treatment for MS. Results were published in a study titled…
January 7, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Entropy in MS Patients’ Brains Seen to Mirror Level of Disability A recentĀ study published in the journal PLOS ONEĀ described a new technique with the potential to spot brain changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) before the onset of symptoms. The technique, which measures brain dynamic activity and brain entropy, mayĀ lead to theĀ development of diagnostic ā and possibly prognostic ā…