cognition

Cognitive rehab tied to MRI changes in cognition-linked brain regions

A three month cognitive rehabilitation program, with or without aerobic exercise, increased tissue volume and activity in brain regions linked to cognition among people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), clinical trial data suggests. The MRI findings offer potential biological explanations about why cognitive rehabilitation leads to cognitive…

Higher Levels of MS Fatigue Linked to Poorer Cognitive Skills

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who report higher levels of fatigue are more likely to have lower performance scores in tests that evaluate cognitive skills, a study from Ireland suggests. Specifically, poor verbal learning abilities, visual-spatial memory, and information processing speed (IPS) were associated with higher levels of self-reported…

Irisin Hormone May Underlie Benefits of Aerobic Exercise for RRMS

Six weeks of aerobic exercise led to benefits in cognition, fatigue, and depression among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), which may be due to increases in blood levels of a hormone called irisin, according to data from a randomized, controlled trial. “Considering the high prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms…

I Think, Therefore I Am More Than My Mental Fatigue

ā€œA river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence.ā€ ā€” James N. Watkins Fatigue is arguably the most disruptive symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). At least it is for me. It has an awful lot to answer for. And it will.

Smartphone App Floodlight Found to Reliably Measure MS Data

A smartphone-based app called Floodlight can reliably assess cognition, arm and hand function, and walking abilities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new analyses. “Detection of progression onset or worsening is critical to optimally adapt the therapeutic strategy” patients are using to treat the neurodegenerative disease,…

Metformin Seen to Aid Cognition, Brain Biology in MS Rat Model

Treatment with the diabetes medication metformin was seen to lessen cognitive impairment, improve coordination, and normalize neuronal activity in a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study reporting these findings,Ā “Evaluation of the effects of metformin as adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase activator on spatial learning and…

Sleep Deprivation May Worsen Memory in Early MS

Sleep deprivation may worsen memory in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new observational study suggests. A link also was observed between a lack of sleep and worse cognitive efficiency in early MS, but that association was caused by the worse moods…

Meaningful Cognitive Gains in Pediatric MS Captured Using Pencil-Paper Test

A computer-based training program that exercises distinct components of attention and working memory can improve cognition in young people with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), a new study indicates. Findings also support a common pencil-and-paper measure of cognition, called the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), in detecting clinically meaningful changes…

Study Seeks to Better Understand How MS Affects Memory

A new research project will seek to better understand the biological processes that drive memory problems in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), as a better understanding of these processes may open new avenues for intervention. The four-year study is titled “Neuroimaging of Hippocampally Mediated Memory Dysfunction in…

Stem Cell Transplant Reduces Relapses and Disability in RRMS, Study Suggests

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) induces a reduction in relapse rate and physical disability in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who respond inadequately to other treatments, a small study suggests. The study, ā€œSelective cognitive dysfunction and physical disability improvement after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation…