Cognitive therapy

Sanofi is working with Happify Health to develop an app that addresses the mental health of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) through cognitive behavior therapy. The physical symptoms of MS, such as fatigue and spasticity, are well-documented. But many patients also struggle with bouts of depression,…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $1.83 million grant to a Kessler Foundation researcher leading a clinical trial to test if a month-long cognitive training program can improve learning and memory in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of the Centers…

Treatment with Mayzent (siponimod) led to significant improvement in cognitive processing speed in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to updated results of a Phase 3 trial. Novartis’ findings, presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) congress that ran June 29–July 2 in Oslo,…

Patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) have difficulties perceiving the thoughts and intentions, but not the emotions, of other individuals, Kessler Foundation researchers have found. Those findings were reported in a study, “Cognitive but Not Affective Theory of Mind Deficits in Progressive MS,” that was published in…

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 2019 American…

A new web portal called Talk2Me that detects early changes in language could help doctors diagnose or determine progression in neurodegenerative disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS), the scientists who created it suggest. The open platform portal, which gathers language data through an array of cognitive tasks performed…

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…

When I first learned that I had multiple sclerosis in late January 2004, the thing I worried about most was losing my mind. No, I’m not referring to stressing out, going bananas, cracking up, going off the deep end, or coming unglued — though all of those were distinct…

Issues with social cognition can occur in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients even without the presence of cognitive impairment, and are related to damage in a specific brain region known as the amygdala, a study reports. The study, “Social cognition deficits and the role of…

Anxiety and depression are associated with lower cognitive abilities in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) other and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and rheumatoid arthritis, a study shows. These findings indicate the importance of managing symptoms of anxiety and depression in MS, as…

Blood infection with the yeast Candida albicans, a type of fungus, can reach the brain and trigger an immune response, a new mouse study shows. Although the fungus can be cleared within 10 days, it affects the spatial memory of mice. These findings are the first evidence that a blood infection with a…

Multiple sclerosis patients of working age who are 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…

Books. Magazines. Journals. Emails. Online articles. Newsletters. Podcasts. Local and cable news. The quantity of information we take in daily is impressive — overwhelming, even. According to a 2009 report from researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the average American consumed about 105,000 words per day, or…

A brain training technique that helps boost processing speed was seen to significantly improve the cognitive capacity of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, as well as their ability to perform everyday activities, a pilot study shows. The study, “A Pilot Study Examining Speed of Processing Training (SPT) to Improve…

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…

Tysabri (natalizumab) was reported in a small retrospective study to significantly improve cognitive abilities in people with relapsing-remitting MS patients (RRMS) over two years of use. The study, “Improvement in Cognitive Function as Measured by NeuroTrax in Patients with Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treated with Natalizumab: A 2-Year…

Kessler Foundation scientist Silvana Costa, PhD, was awarded a $477,000 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) to explore the effects of visual, cognitive, and motor deficits on information processing speed in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Costa is an associate research scientist in neuropsychology and neuroscience research.

Cognitive impairment is common among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be assessed through touchscreen cognitive tests in clinical care, a British study reports. The study “Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Care” was published in the…

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.

Akili Interactive announced it has received a $55 million in financing to develop a digital platform to possibly treat people with cognitive impairment associated with diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The company is focused on creating products with therapeutic potential based on high-quality video game experiences. The financing was led…

One thing we’ve all hoped for with our disease-modifying therapies (DMT) is a treatment that will improve our multiple sclerosis (MS) and not just keep it from worsening. The latest studies presented on Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) hold promise that this treatment may have finally arrived. According to recent reports,…

5 MS Patients Across US Talk About How Ocrevus Has Changed Their Lives There’s high interest in Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), one of two disease-modifying therapies that have shown promise for reversing some multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. (The other is Lemtrada.) So, I’m including this article. Keep in mind,…

Treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) shows sustained efficacy and an ability to improve cognition in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data being presented by Genentech, the drug’s developer. The company will detail these findings in a series of oral and poster sessions at the 2018 American Academy…

Research that points to a potential blood biomarker of 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 by Biogen for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This year’s…

People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) have more cognitive decline than those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to a Greek study. The finding confirmed a long-held assumption that the more progressive form of the disease — SPMS — also involves more cognition problems. Some previous research has confirmed that…

University at Buffalo researchers are working on ways to improve multiple sclerosis patients’ cognitive function and to repair damage to the mylein coating that protects nerve cells. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded the researchers more than $1.1 million to conduct the studies. One, “The Effects of Working Memory…

Ampyra (dalfampridine), approved to treat walking difficulties in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, also helps with cognition and movement in the upper and lower extremities, according to a recent scientific presentation. These findings were reported at the 3rd Annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2018 in…

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, “Electrophysiological and behavioral effects of frontal transcranial direct current stimulation on cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis,” appeared in the…

New research shows how a high-salt diet leads to excessive levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, causing changes in endothelial cells that result in dementia. These findings suggest that therapeutics targeting IL-17 may help halt the neurovascular damages of MS and other autoimmune diseases linked to high…

A $44,000 National Multiple Sclerosis Society grant will allow a researcher at the Kessler Foundation to advance her work on multiple sclerosis patients’ emotional processing challenges. Dr. Helen Genova, Kessler’s assistant director of neuropsychology and neuroscience research, has been studying cognitive dysfunction in people with various diseases, including MS. In addition to neurological problems,…