February 22, 2018 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Study Links Degeneration of Deep Gray Matter in Brain to Faster MS Disability Degeneration of the brain’s deep gray matter is associated with more rapid disability in multiple sclerosis patients, a European study shows. The research, āDeep gray matter volume loss drives disability worsening in multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journal Annals of Neurology. Scientists know that loss…
December 7, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc University of Illinois Researchers Win $300,000 Falk Award to Improve MS Drug Delivery A research team at theĀ University of Illinois College of MedicineĀ has received $300,000 from the Falk Medical Research Trust to develop a novel drug delivery method that could improve the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis. Established in 1979, the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust - Catalyst Award is granted every year to a dozen U.S. research groups. It provides one year of funding to high-risk, high-reward projects to complete preliminary studies. Catalyst Program winners who achieve their goals can then enroll in the Falk Transformational Awards Program, which offers $1 million for two years to further support the projects. The UIC team, led by Ernesto Bongarzone and Maria Givogri, hope to transform naturally occurring small vesicles released by several cell types into drug targeted delivery vehicles. Cells commonly use these vesicles to communicate with each other. They pack inside the vesicles with many cell products, like proteins and small RNA molecules, then release them into the bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid. These vesicles can travel to distant places in the body until they find and fuse with their target cell, dumping their cargo. However, the content of vesicles may not always be good, as they have been shown to play a role in spreading cancer, said fellow anatomy and cell biology professor Givogri. "There is much more to learn about how they function in this way,ā she added. The team will use the Catalyst Award to test different methods of vesicles production from mesenchymal stem cells. They will also engineer these vesicles to specifically target oligodendrocytes in the brain and spinal cord. Oligodendrocytes are cells that specialize in producing the nerve cellās protective myelin layer. The efficacy and safety of this new delivery method will be tested in mice. After completing these preliminary studies, the team expects to apply for further funding. The UIC researchers plan to use the vesicles to transport and deliver small RNA molecules, called microRNAs, that can boost myelin production.
October 6, 2017 News by Ashraf Malhas, PhD Evidence of Lymph Vessels in Human Brain May Offer New Insights into MS, Other Disorders Groundbreaking evidence of the existence of lymphatic vessels in the human brain could answer the question of how the brain gets rid of waste products, and holds clear implications for neuroinflammatory disorders such as multiple sclerosis. The lymphatic system is a network that helps the body to rid itself of toxins and waste products. Lymphatic vessels, which are similar to blood vessels, transport a clear fluid ā lymph ā which is filtered in lymph nodes. It has long been thought that the brain lacks lymphatic vessels. However, a team of researchers at theĀ National Institutes of Health (NIH), building on previous research in rodent brains, recently found evidence that the brain may actually drain waste through lymphatic vessels. The researchers injected healthy volunteers with a magnetic dye called gadobutrol, which is usually used as a contrast agent to image blood vessels. They then scanned the brains of these individuals using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under specific settings. This allowed them to view the dye within the outer layer of the brain, known as the dura. The MRI revealed that the dye was visible both as dots and straight lines, which might indicate lymph vessels. This suggested that the dye leaked out of blood vessels into the dura and were later 'picked up' by lymphatic vessels. These vessels were not seen when the volunteers were injected with another dye that does not leak out of blood vessels.Ā Evidence of lymphatic vessels in the brain was also found in autopsied human brain tissue. Although a pair of 2015 studies had shown evidence of lymphatic vessels in the brains of mice, this is the first study that demonstrates that a similar system exists in human brains.Ā āFor years we knew how fluid entered the brain. Now we may finally see that, like other organs in the body, brain fluid can drain out through the lymphatic system,ā Reich saidĀ . In addition to changing the way we think about the lymphatic system and the brain, this study lays the foundations for future research to investigate whether the function of the lymphatic system is altered in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis or other disorders affecting the nervous system.
August 23, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Researchers Identify Nerve Pathway Linking Brain Inflammation, Gut Dysfunction in MS Chronic stress and inflammation in the brain can cause multi-organ dysfunction including severe gut failure, mediated by a newly identified nerve pathway in animal models of multiple sclerosis, a Japanese study shows. MS is an autoimmune disease caused by CD4+ T-cells that cross the blood-brain barrier protecting the central nervous system. This inflames and stresses the brain and spinal cord. In previous studies, a team led by professor Masaaki Murakami of Japan's Hokkaido University showed that these cells could cross the blood-brain barrier in specific sites. These entrance sites depend on brain regional activation, which was found to be triggered by specific nerve interactions ā a mechanism the team called gateway reflexes. In collaboration with other Japanese researchers and a team from Germany, the project aimed to address the potential correlation among chronic stress, brain inflammation and organ failures in MS. Using mice with MS-like disease ā the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model ā researchers found that animals that had autoreactive CD4+ T-cells and which were exposed to stressful conditions developed severe symptoms such as gastrointestinal failure, or even death. Detailed analysis of the animals' brains showed that in stressed mice, CD4+ T-cells accumulated in two specific sites in the center of the brain around blood vessels. This event would cause inflammation around those vessels, and activation of a nerve pathway that is commonly turned off. This switch led to gut dysfunction, bleeding and failure. "These results demonstrate a direct link between brain micro-inflammation and fatal gastrointestinal diseases via the establishment of a new neural pathway under stress," Murakami, the study's senior author, said in a news release. Researchers were able to prevent gut symptoms by inhibiting inflammation in the brain or blocking the nerve pathway responsible for driving the signals from the brain to the gastrointestinal tract. "Micro-inflammation in the brain is also seen in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease," Murakamai concluded. "So it's of particular interest to investigate possible connections between brain micro-inflammations and organ dysfunctions, including those within the brain itself, in those patients."
April 26, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Sanofi Genzyme to Present New Data on MS Treatments Lemtrada and Aubagio Sanofi Genzyme will present new results on follow-up studies of its products Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Aubagio (teriflunomide), both of which have been approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The new data will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual MeetingĀ taking…
February 24, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – Sex Hormones and Chromosomes Lead to Gender Differences in MS, Studies Report Sex hormones, and genes in the two sex chromosomes, impact the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in men and women differently, and lead to differences in the course of the disease between the sexes, according to two studies. Two speakers at the ACTRIMS 2017 ForumĀ highlighted the role of sex…
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 27, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Tiny Molecules in Blood Could Be Biomarkers of MS Progression, Study Says MicroRNAs in the blood could serve as biomarkers to monitor the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as help identify which mechanisms are at play in each patient, such as inflammation and tissue damage, according to new research. The findings were reported in the study, āAssociation Between Serum…
June 16, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD New PET Tracers May Work to Detect Neuroinflammation in Brains of MS Patients Novel molecular imaging compoundsĀ that detect neuroinflammation in the brain of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have been developed by researchers at theĀ Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri, andĀ may help to uncover the triggers of such inflammation and to better evaluate new disease treatments. The study, “Development and…
June 8, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC16 – Physical Training with Assistive Devices Improves Mobility for MS Patients The use of assistive devices is ineffective for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a study recently presented at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual Meeting concluded. But physical training using such devices can help improve mobility and the result is usually accompanied by a lower level of signaling…
November 16, 2015 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Hypoxia-Measuring Technology in MS Could Be Potential Biomarker for Treatment Responses In a new study entitled āReduced cortical microvascular oxygenation in multiple sclerosis: a blinded, case-controlled study using a novel quantitative near-infrared spectroscopy method,ā a team of researchers at theĀ Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of CalgaryĀ investigated whether frequency domain near-infrared spectroscopy technology can measure the potential…
October 14, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Study Identifies Blood Coagulation Protein Fibrinogen as Cause of Brain Autoimmunity Researchers from the Gladstone Institutes have shown in a new study that fibrinogen, an important blood coagulation protein, can induce an autoimmune response in the central nervous system when the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is disrupted and blood proteins enter the brain. The study, entitled āBlood coagulation protein fibrinogen promotes…
July 9, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researchers Offer New Insights into Cognitive Deficits in Multiple Sclerosis Patients A new study led by researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center recently revealed that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experience cognitive deficits due to a decreased connectivity between functional networks in the brain. The…
June 3, 2015 News by admin Approach to Treating MS May be Transformed Thanks to Newly Discovered Connection Between Immune-Nervous Systems An exciting new discovery has turned the medical world upside down, and could have important implications for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). It turns out that previously undiscovered vessels exist that connect the nervous system and immune system directly. The study, titled “Structural and functional features…