August 6, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Donepezil Seen to Aid Cognition, Life Quality for MS Patients in Small Trial DonepezilĀ ā an approvedĀ treatment forĀ Alzheimer’s diseaseĀ ā eased cognitive impairment, depression, and improved other quality-of-life measures inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with mild to moderate disability, according to results of a single-site clinical trial. The study, “Effect of Donepezil on Cognitive Impairment, Quality of Life, and Depression…
August 5, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Coffee May Help Ease Fatigue in MS Patients With Milder Disability Drinking coffee each day appears to help people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) and milder disability and fatigue, with this patient group reporting in a questionnaire that caffeine allowed them to better concentrate on tasks and broaden their attention spans, a study reports. Its researchers suggest that “for selected patients”Ā regular coffee…
August 4, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD UT Doctoral Student Wins NIH Fellowship to Study MS Cognitive Changes A $41,000 fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) aims to advance research into how changes in brain connectivity are related to the cognitive deficits seen in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship was granted to…
August 3, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Regular Exercise Helps Preserve Key Brain Areas, Study Finds People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who exercise regularly are able to maintain volume in the hippocampus, a brain regionĀ responsible for learning and memory, a study reports. This work “adds to the growing body of evidence that exercise has many benefits for people with MS,” the National MS…
July 31, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mental Fatigue in MS May Be Due to Poorer Brain Response to Tasks The debilitating mental fatigue that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can feel afterĀ a cognitively demanding task may be due to less efficient use of the brain, a pilot study that mapped brain activity during tasks suggests. The study āNeural mechanisms underlying state mental fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a…
July 24, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Video Game Therapy Shows Potential for Cognitive Gains in Small Study An interactive video game was more effective than a word game at improving processing speeds in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with cognitive difficulties, and gains measured were longer lasting, a small clinical trial reports. These results were in the study “A novel in-home digital treatment to…
June 24, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Psychosis, Cognitive Difficulties May Be First Symptoms of RRMS, Case Report Indicates Psychosis and cognitive difficulties may be initial symptoms of relapsingāremitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a case report says. āA case report revealing acute onset psychosis and cognitive impairment as primary manifestation in relapsingāremitting multiple sclerosisā was published in the journal…
June 22, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD More Research Needed Into How Exercise, Rehab Aid Cognition in MS Cognitive problems are common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) but inadequately addressed by disease-modifying therapies, whileĀ cognitive rehabilitation and exercise training programs can be effective, a review study reported.Ā Research studies of exercise programs need to include larger groups of patients with demonstrated cognitive difficulties, however, and more pharmacological…
May 15, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mindfulness Training Seen to Aid Cognitive, Emotional Well-being in Pilot Study Four weeks of mindfulness meditation helped to improve thinking skills and a sense of emotional balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and to a greater extent than cognitive training given to a separate patient group, aĀ pilot clinical trial reports.Ā These results were detailed in two studies,ā…
April 22, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Starting Mayzent Early of Greater Benefit in SPMS, 5-Year Trial Data Show People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who began treatment with MayzentĀ early and continued its use for years are less likely to experience disability progression than those starting the medication later in their disease course, five-year data from the EXPAND study suggest. Data from this same Phase 3…
April 15, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Gray Matter Lesions Affect Cognition in Japanese MS Patients as Well, Study Says People in Japan with lesions in the cerebral cortex due toĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) were found to have greater cognitive problems, or difficulties thinking, than those without lesions in this area of mostly gray matter that surrounds the brain, a study reports.Ā Lesions confined to the…
March 23, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cognitive Impairment in Early MS Not Linked to Ethnicity, US Study Suggests Ethnicity does not seem to have an influence on the degree of cognitive impairment seen in patients at the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a U.S.-based study suggests. The study, āRace, ethnicity, and cognition in persons newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the…
March 4, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Natural Molecule NAC May Help Improve MS Brain Function, Study Reports Treatment for two months with N-acetylcysteine, or NAC ā a natural molecule that enhances the levels of antioxidants ā significantly improved metabolic activity in certain brain regions among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a small clinical study reports. This increase in metabolic activity was accompanied by improvements…
February 11, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Cognitive Decline in MS May Not Be Inevitable or Progressive, 10-year Study Suggests Progressive cognitive decline in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may not be as inevitable as previously thought, a study suggests. The study, “A longitudinal study of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis: is decline inevitable?,” was published in theĀ Journal of Neurology. Statistics indicate that some kind…
January 7, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Impaired Prospective Memory Affects MS Patients’ Ability to Perform Everyday Tasks, Study Finds Prospective memory ā the ability to remember to carry out a future task ā is significantly impaired in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and may contribute to worse cognitive performance for everyday tasks, according to recent research. The study āTime-Based Prospective Memory Is Associated with Functional Performance in Persons…
December 20, 2019 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Managing Money Difficult for MS Patients with Cognitive Problems and Depression, Study Says Effective money management, critical to independent living, is particularly Ā difficultĀ for people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) affects executive thinking skills and who struggle with depressionĀ and anxiety, a study reports. The study, āMoney Management in Multiple Sclerosis: The Role of Cognitive, Motor, and Affective Factors,ā was published in the…
November 26, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Problems Processing Sensory Information Linked to MS Severity, Difficulties in Daily Life, Study Finds People with multiple sclerosis (MS) ā both with and without cognitive impairments ā have trouble processing sensory information, which is linked to greater disease severity and difficulties in daily life, a study reveals. The study is one of the first to look at the consequences of sensory processing deficits…
October 16, 2019 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Tysabri Treatment Leads to Disease Activity-free Status in Patients with Pediatric-onset MS Early treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) of patients with aggressive pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis is highly effective at achieving disease activity-free status and preventing cognitive decline, a new study shows. The study, āNo evidence of disease activity including cognition (NEDA-3 plus) in naĆÆve pediatric multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab,ā…
October 7, 2019 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Tests of Cognitive Abilities Very Useful in Judging Everyday Life Skills, But Study Advises Pairing with Other Tests Testing cognitive abilities ā like learning and memory, processing speed, and verbal fluency ā can give valuable clues as to how well people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are able to go about their daily lives, according to a review study led byĀ Kessler FoundationĀ researchers. Neuropsychological tests are of “significant predictive…
September 11, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Remyelinating Therapy Liothyronine Well-tolerated by MS Patients, Phase 1b Trial Finds Treatment with a potential remyelinating agent called liothyronine was safe and well-tolerated by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a Phase 1b trial. Preliminary results also suggested benefits in cognition, motor function, and fatigue. The study, āA Phase 1b, open-label study to evaluate the safety…
September 11, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Real-world Data Supports Serum Neurofilament Light as Potential MS Biomarker Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in the blood ā a proposed biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS) ā is linked with worse neurologic function at levels above a certain threshold, according to data from a large, real-world study. Kathryn Fitzgerald, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of…
August 9, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Music While Walking Makes MS Patients More Motivated and Less Mentally Drained, Study Suggests People listening to music during an extended walk tend to sync their steps to its beat ā and forĀ those with multiple sclerosis (MS), such synchronization helps to overcome mental fatigue and improve motivation, a study found. “Continuous 12 min walking to music, metronomes and in silence:…
July 30, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Early MRI Screening Can Predict Long-term MS Disability, Help Guide Treatment, Study Says Routine screening throughĀ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict long-term disease progression ā leading to more certainty and informing better treatment choices, a 15-year study reported. The study, titled āEarly imaging predictors of long-term…
June 20, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Childhood MS Linked to Greater Cognitive Impairment in Adulthood, Study Finds People with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) have a greater decline in cognitive function, and are more likely to experience cognitive impairment in adulthood, than those whose disease began when they were adults, a study reports. The study, “Long-term Cognitive Outcomes in Patients With Pediatric-Onset vs Adult-Onset…
May 9, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Mayzent Improves Cognitive Processing Speed in SPMS Patients, Trial Results Show Treatment with Mayzent (siponimod) provided sustained improvements and prevented deterioration of cognitive processing speed in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), regardless of their cognitive function prior to therapy, according to results of a Phase 3 clinical trial. The data were presented at the recent 2019Ā American…
March 28, 2019 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: What Exactly Is Cognition? Editor’s note: “Need to Know” 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 topic “What do you do to help strengthen your cognitive abilities?” from…
March 6, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Game-like Smartphone App Used to Test Neurological Disability in MS In the time necessary to perform a standard multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) functional exam, gamified tests on a smartphone app provide much richer and reliable measurements of several distinct neurological functions, according to new data. These findings suggest that creatively-constructed smartphone apps may one day recreate entire neurological exams.
February 28, 2019 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc National MS Society Grants $50,000 to Kessler Researchers to Study Processing Speed in MS Kessler Foundation researchers Ekaterina Dobryakova, PhD, and Pei-Pei Liu, PhD, have been awarded a $50,000 grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society to studyĀ the speed at which MS patients processĀ information during social interactions. A better understanding of how MS affects the way a person learns from others’…
January 31, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein Anxiety and Depression Linked to Cognitive Issues in MS, Other Diseases, Study Finds Anxiety and depression are associated with lower cognitive abilities in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) other and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such asĀ inflammatory bowel diseaseĀ (IBD) and rheumatoid arthritis, a study shows. These findings indicate the importance of managing symptoms of anxiety and depression in MS, as…
November 16, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Unemployment and Under-employment Linked to Poorer Cognitive Abilities in UK Study Multiple sclerosis patients of working age who areĀ unemployed or on a reduced work schedule are likely to show considerable cognitive impairment on tests, especially those measuring mental processing speeds, than patients who are more gainfully employed, a review study reports. This link held true even in patients with little…