October 16, 2018 News by BioNews Staff #ECTRIMS2018 – MS PATHS Just Starting to See Potential, Aims for Remission as Treatment Goal, Biogen Exec Says MS PATHS, a way of capturing data on disease progression and treatment response in thousands of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients being treated at any of 10 participating clinics, has among its goals that of making clinical remission ā a prolonged absence of any disease activity ā possible, said an…
October 11, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Brain, Spinal Cord Injuries Affect Processing Speed in MS Patients, Study Reveals Processing speed is associated with the extent of brain and spinal cord injury in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study conducted in a clinical setting. The results support using the Processing Speed Test (PST) in both clinical practice and trials. The study, ā…
October 11, 2018 News by BioNews Staff #ECTRIMS2018 ā Data from 2 EU Trials Shows Effectiveness of Cannabidiol Spray in Treating Spasticity Data from two European trials ā a real-life study in Italy, and a long-term Czech trial looking at impact on cognition ā supported the efficacy of a widely approved cannabinoid spray in treating moderate to severe spasticity (muscular stiffness or involuntary spasms) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who…
September 18, 2018 News by Ashraf Malhas, PhD Grant Awarded to Research New Method to Treat Cognitive Dysfunction in Progressive MS The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation have awarded a $410,000 grant to fund research based on a new method for treating cognitive dysfunction in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). About 70% of progressive MS patients suffer from cognitive abnormalities that…
September 17, 2018 News by Mary Chapman MS Society of Canada Backs Study of Exercise and Rehabilitation in Aiding Cognition in Progressive Patients With a $5 million grant, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (MSSC) will support an 12-week international study to determine the effects of cognitive rehabilitation and aerobic exercise on those with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), it was announced in a news release. The investigation is being touted as…
July 11, 2018 News by Vijaya Iyer, PhD Touchscreen-based Cognitive Testing is Effective in MS Care, Study Finds Cognitive impairment is common among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be assessedĀ through touchscreen cognitive tests in clinical care, a British study reports. The study āInvestigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Careā was published in the…
June 25, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Online Aid for MS Patients with Cognitive Difficulties Now Part of MyMSTeam MyHealthTeams together with Biogen launched a new online tool center, called MS and Cognition Resource Center, to educate multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on brain health, and to help them better understand how MS impacts the brain and how they might manage the cognitive challenges the disease brings.
April 27, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AAN2018 – Siponimod Lessens Risk of SPMS Progression Independent of Relapses, Trial Data Show Novartisā investigational oral treatmentĀ siponimod (BAF312) reduces the risk of disability progression in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a new analysis of Phase 3 trial results show. Using what the company describes as more accurate methods to assess siponimod effect’s on progression risk, necessary because the…
April 19, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #AAN2018 – Biogen Data Covers Work into an MS Blood Biomarker, Cognition and Life Quality Research that points to aĀ potential blood biomarker ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) severity, relates cognitive difficulties to patients’ employment and other measures of socioeconomic status, and one-year results of an ongoing clinical trial are among data presentations planned byĀ BiogenĀ for theĀ annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This year’s…
March 19, 2018 News by Diogo Pinto Pain Affect in MS Associated with Physical and Psychiatric Comorbidities Physical and psychiatric comorbidities in multiple sclerosisĀ (MS)Ā patientsĀ are associated with an increased risk of experiencing more pain ā namely pain intensity and pain affect. The research to support that finding, āPsychiatric and physical comorbidities and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the Journal of Pain…
March 19, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Poorer Sense of Smell Can Be Evident Even in Early Stages of MS, Study Says People with multiple sclerosis (MS) can indeed have a poorer-than-usual sense of smell, with problems possibly starting at early diseases stages, a small Turkish study reports. This work supports previous research noting olfactory problems in MS patients. It also argues that longer disease duration and more relapses are associated…
March 16, 2018 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society-supported Study Looking into How Disease Affects Children’s Thinking A researcher at theĀ University of Alabama at Birminghamās School of NursingĀ will help to lead a national effort into how multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā affectsĀ the cognitive skills of children. Yolanda Harris is the UAB principal investigator in a study assessing how MS impacts the way children make decisions. Titled ā…
February 21, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD University at Buffalo to Do Cognitive Training and Myelin Repair Studies University at BuffaloĀ researchers are working on ways to improve multiple sclerosis patients’ cognitive function and to repair damage to the mylein coating that protects nerve cells. TheĀ National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ awarded the researchers more than $1.1 million to conduct the studies. One, āThe Effects of Working Memory…
January 25, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Reduces MS-associated Cognitive Fatigue One single session of non-invasive brain stimulation can reduce cognitive fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), say researchers at Germany’s Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. Their study, āElectrophysiological and behavioral effects of frontal transcranial direct current stimulation on cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis,ā appeared in the…
December 8, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novartis’ Gilenya Improves Cognition, Reduces Relapses and MS Lesions, Phase 4 Trial Shows Ā Novartis' Gilenya and interferon beta-1b-based therapies stop multiple sclerosis patients' cognitive decline, a Phase 4 clinical trial shows. Gilenya (fingolimod) also reduces patients' relapses and the number of their brain lesions ā areas where a protein coating that protects nerve cells has deteriorated, researchers found.
October 27, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #MSParis2017 – Multiple Sclerosis Can Stay Mild for Decades, 30-year British Study Shows After the first round of symptoms,Ā multiple sclerosis can stay mild without causing major problems for decades, a 30-year British study indicates. Karen K.Ā Chung of theĀ University College London Institute of NeurologyĀ discussed the findings atĀ the ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meetingĀ in Paris, which started Oct. 25 and runs until 28. His presentation was titled āDoes…
August 11, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Cover to Cover, Books of All Kinds Can Lift Your Life In “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” as excellent a book about wordcraft as has ever been set to paper, Stephen King says, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” Iām inclined to agree. After all, no matter where you are, you have company if thereās a book at…
June 6, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Brain Damage Linked to MS Affects Ability to Interpret Others’ Emotions and Intentions, Study Reports How multiple sclerosis affects the “social brain,” whichĀ governs the ability to understand how others think and feel ā a skill called social cognition ā is linked to specific types of brain damage that occur in MS: both lesions and microscopic changes taking place in the brain’s white matter, aĀ research team…
May 17, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Online BrainHQ Training Program Boosts Cognition in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis, NYU Study Shows The onlineĀ BrainHQĀ adaptive training program developed by Posit Science is better than any computer game at helping multiple sclerosis (MS) patients improve their cognitive skills, according to a study by researchers at New York University (NYU). The study,Ā āCognitive function in multiple sclerosis improves with telerehabilitation: Results from…
February 13, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Tongue Stimulation Could Give MS Patients Better Rehabilitation Outcomes, Study Suggests Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients given gentleĀ electrical stimulation to their tongues during physical and cognitive rehabilitation training benefited more than those who did not have the stimulation,Ā a small pilot study demonstrated. Those who received the weak stimulation had significant improvements in balance and better scores than controls in cognition and other…
February 3, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New tDCS Devices May Boost Cognition in MS ā But Don’t Use One at Home Without Guidance Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who received transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) while playing brain-training video games improved their learning and understanding skillsĀ to a greater extent than those who only brain-trained. Researchers atĀ NYU Langone’s Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center underscored that while more research is needed to explore the procedure’s…
August 10, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Brain Inflammation Countered by Neuronal Growth in Mouse Model of MS As inflammation and neuronal death progressed in the brains of mice with multiple sclerosis (MS), a molecular signaling pathway with a key player called Wnt was seen toĀ come intoĀ action in brain areas crucial for memory production, triggering the formationĀ of new neurons. The findings, presented in the study…
June 27, 2016 Columns by admin An MS Patientās View: Ianās Review of the Weekās News In my weekly news review, I take a brief look, from my MS patient’s view, at a few of the stories behind the headlines that have appeared onĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today over the last seven days. 14 Celebrity Ambassadors For the Multiple Sclerosis Cause It looks as…
June 20, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Clinical Pilates Seen to Improve Both Cognition and Muscle Strength in MS Patients Clinical pilates canĀ improve cognitive skills and life qualityĀ inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients,Ā in addition to helping them physically. But the study, comparing clinical pilates with traditional exercise,Ā alsoĀ showed that other exercise forms offer important benefits, and more research is needed to determineĀ if clinical pilates is a superior type of exercise for people with…
May 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD MS Society Awards UT Researcher $490K to Study Link Between Blood Flow and Cognition The National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ has awarded Dr. Bart Rypma, an associate professor at the Center for BrainHealth at theĀ University of Texas at Dallas, aĀ more than $490,000 grant to studyĀ how changes in blood flow in the brain mightĀ affectĀ cognition in people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). The grant buildsĀ on previous research…
March 16, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Immune Cells in Brain Seen to Promote Cognitive Impairment In MS Mouse Model Microglial cells in the hippocampus, a brain region crucial for memory processing, mayĀ contribute to brain damage associated with cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS). The finding, published in the journal Scientific Reports, implies that targeting microglia could beĀ a promising strategy to improve cognition in MS. While cognitive…