December 29, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Tracking brain changes in early MS can predict odds of progression The rate of brain atrophy, or shrinkage, and changes in brain lesion volume in the first years of treatment with Rebif (interferon beta-1a) may help predict which patients with early multiple sclerosis (MS) will receive a clinically definite diagnosis, a study suggests. The brain radiologic measures may also…
December 11, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Blood levels of MIF protein may predict brain atrophy with PPMS Higher blood levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a molecule involved in inflammation, may predict a faster rate of brain shrinkage, or atrophy, in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). That’s according to a new analysis of data from the SPRINT-MS Phase 2 trial (NCT01982942) that…
October 20, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Machine learning used to estimate when brain shrinkage begins Brain atrophy (shrinkage) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) begins on average more than five years before disease symptoms appear, according to a new study based on machine learning models. “Although the onset of progressive brain tissue loss measured by MRI is not synonymous with the true biological…
December 9, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias ‘Time Is Brain’: Managing Brain Atrophy With MS This is one of my “nobody ever told me that” columns. I was amazed when I read a comment from one of my “MS Wire” readers recently about brain shrinkage. “I’ve had MS since 2011. I had no idea about brain shrinkage,” she wrote. I guess I shouldn’t have…
December 6, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD 2-year Copaxone Treatment in RRMS Found to Slow Loss of Gray Matter Two years of treatment with the approved therapy >Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) was found to slow the loss of cerebral gray matter and whole brain volume ā two markers of neurodegeneration ā in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Notably, individuals on Copaxone…
November 22, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS Patients Help Steer Guidelines for Talks About Brain Volume Loss A team of doctors, researchers, and patients has come up with a set of recommendations to help medical professionals in navigating difficult discussions with patients about brain atrophy ā or shrinkage ā with multiple sclerosis (MS). āOur goal is to minimize misunderstanding and apprehension about brain atrophy, also known…
May 25, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD ‘Silent Progression’ in Relapsing MS Linked to Significant Brain Atrophy People with relapsing multiple sclerosis who have disability progression, but no clinical relapses, show significantly faster brain shrinkage, or atrophy, than those with a stable disease, a study shows. There were no significant differences in the brain atrophy rate between patients with progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) and…
February 21, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Brain Atrophy, CD25, Neurodynamic Therapy, Anxiety Fatigue Severity in MS Predicted by Shrinkage of Certain Brain Regions For several years, I’ve been a believer, along with many neurologists, in the theory that it’s best to treat MS as quickly and effectively as possible. Though directed at only fatigue indicators, this research looking at brain atrophy…
November 15, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Longer Breastfeeding May Damage Brain By Delaying DMT Use Having at least one pregnancy may lower disability scores in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), but breastfeeding for longer than six months may worsen damage to the brain, an observational study in patients has found. Findings support the need for careful pregnancy planning, counseling, and treatment management to ensure…
October 22, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Brain Volume, NfL Level Changes May Predict Disability in Relapsing MS A model that considers changes in brain volume and serum neurofilament (sNfL) levels during the early stages of multiple sclerosisĀ may help clinicians to determine an individual’s likely progression with relapsing forms of MS, a study suggests. āWe were able to build reliable, robust models capable of accurate predictions of…
January 26, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD PPMS Patients ‘Drove’ Slowing in Brain Atrophy Seen With Ibudilast, Trial Analysis Finds People with primary progressive MS (PPMS) appeared to show a much stronger response and to be the” driving” force behind a slowing in brain atrophy seen withĀ ibudilastĀ treatment in the SPRINTāMS trial, a post-hoc study analysis reports. The treatment response observed in brain atrophy was more evident…
December 3, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Chronic Lesion Expansion in RRMS Contributes to Disease Progression, Study Reveals The expansion of chronic white matter lesions in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) determined the increase in total lesion volume and significantly contributed to disease progression, a study has revealed. The study, āExpansion of chronic…
November 12, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Neurofilament Light Levels at First MS Event Can Predict Long-term Brain Atrophy The levels of the protein neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood when a person experiences a first demyelinating event associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict brain atrophy up to a decade later, a new study shows. Titled “Association of Serum Neurofilament Light Levels…
September 14, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Cardiovascular Risk Factors Linked to Brain Shrinkage In people with multiple sclerosis (MS) under age 50, the presence of cardiovascular risk factors is associated with a greater loss of brain volume, including white and grey matter, a study showed. The brainās white matter mainly consists of nerve fibers and is typically affected by MS, while…
June 8, 2020 News by David Melamed, PhD Andrographolide Shows Promising Results for Non-active PMS Patients in Trial Andrographolide, an herbal compound with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, is able to slow brain atrophy and progression of disability in people with non-active progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS), according to results from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial. The study, “Efficacy of andrographolide in not active progressive…
March 10, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Researchers Study Cognitive Decline in Older MS Patients for Alzheimer’s Link As multiple sclerosis (MS) patients live longer, researchers have observed similarities between changes in their brains and in the brains of Alzheimer‘s patients, a study found. Understanding whether these changes are the result of worsening MS-related neurodegeneration or co-occuring (comorbid) Alzheimerās disease will help guide better treatment…
November 18, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novel MRI Marker Better at Predicting MS Progression, Study Reports A large retrospective study suggests that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) marker ā called ābrain atrophied T2 lesion volumeāĀ ā could help predict the timing of multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. According to the study, this marker was the only MRI parameter capable of predicting disease progression, compared with other…
November 7, 2019 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: Does Brain Matter Matter? Editor’s note: “Need to Knowā is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topicĀ “Grey Matter Atrophy in MS Shown to Follow a Pattern” from July…
July 22, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Damage to ‘Projection Neurons’ in MS Possible Cause of Brain Atrophy, Study Says Projection neurons, a specific type of nerve cell, are prone to damage in the brain of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and could be at the root of brain atrophy (shrinkage) and the cognitive changes seen in patients. Looking at individual cells in the brain, scientists found…
May 22, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Simvastatin, Common Statin, Treats SPMS in Ways Distinct from Cholesterol, Study Suggests Simvastatin, a widely prescribed statin that works to lower cholesterolĀ levels, may slow brain atrophy and disease progression in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) for reasons unrelated to changes in blood cholesterol, a new analysis of a Phase 2 clinical trial reports. These findings are in…
April 4, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Ibudilast Slows Brain Atrophy in PPMS But Not SPMS Patients, Phase 2b Trial Shows Treatment with oral ibudilast slowsĀ brain shrinkage in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), but not in those with secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to results of a Phase 2b clinical trial. According to the findings, this could be partially due to faster disease progression in untreated…
March 18, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Temelimab Provides Long-term Benefits in RRMS Patients, Extension Study Shows Two-year treatment with temelimab reduced brain atrophy, or shrinkage, preserved myelin, and reduced disease progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), according to findings from an extension study of a Phase 2b clinical trial. Temelimab, previously known as GNbAC1, is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes the MS-associated human…
February 22, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein Aubagio, Tecfidera Show Comparable Effectiveness in Relapsing MS, Real-world Phase 4 Trial Finds Aubagio (teriflunomide)Ā seems to be superior to Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate)Ā in slowingĀ whole brain shrinkage in patients withĀ relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), a new Phase 4 clinical trial shows. However, Aubagio and Tecfidera have similar beneficial effects in achieving other clinical goals and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters,…
January 28, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Herbicide and MS, ‘Incredible’ Foot Stimulators, Tysabri and Brain Shrinkage Herbicide Called Linuron Seen to Trigger Inflammatory Signals Linked to MS in Study This is only a mouse study, but this herbicide has been banned in Europe because of health concerns. Its effects seem worthy of further investigation. The herbicide linuron, commonly used with other herbicides, insecticides,…
October 18, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – GNbAC1 Shows Consistent Neuroprotection in RRMS Patients, Phase 2b Study Reports TreatingĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with GeNeuroās investigational compound GNbAC1 lessened brain atrophy and lesion load and suggested myelin preservation, according to results of a Phase 2b study. Importantly, monthly intravenous GNbAC1 administration for 48 weeks also had neuroprotective effects in the studyās inactive population, which refers…
October 18, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #ECTRIMS2018 – Role of Brain Atrophy in MS Progression Poorly Understood by Patients, MSAA Survey Finds Although brain atrophy ā the loss of brain volume ā is an increasingly important measure in multiple sclerosis trials and treatment outcomes, MS patients have a limited understanding of its role in disease progression,Ā a survey reveals. This finding was detailed in the presentation ā…
October 17, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Blood Level of Neurofilament Light Chain May Predict Brain Atrophy in Progressive MS, Study Suggests Measuring the blood level of neurofilament light chain (NfL) may predict brain shrinkage in primary progressive (PPMS) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to a new study. The findings also show that NfL levels are associated with brain lesion load in these patients. The research, ā…
October 12, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018: Study Proposes Serum Neurofilament Light Threshold to Identify RRMS Patients at Risk of Worsening Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels higher than a proposed threshold have a higher risk of disease activity, and worsened disability, lesions and brain shrinkage in the long term, according to a new study. The research, āSerum neurofilament light (NfL)…
September 19, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD GeNeuro to Develop the MS Clinical Program of GNbAC1 Without Servier GeNeuroĀ announced it has reacquired from Servier the worldwide rights to commercialize and develop the investigational humanized antibodyĀ GNbAC1Ā for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision came after Servier, a European company which, together with GeNeuro, developed the GNbAC1 program, declined to continue developing the therapy due to…
September 18, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Ibudilast Slows Brain Shrinkage 48% in Progressive MS Patients in Phase 2 Trial; Lead Researcher Says Finding is ‘Remarkable’ Progressive multiple sclerosis patients ā with primary or secondary progressive disease ā treated with high doses of oralĀ ibudilastĀ in a Phase 2 clinical trial showed a 48 percent slowing in the progression of brain atrophy, or shrinkage, relative to those given a placebo, study data show. What this…