Cognitive therapy

Video games targeting cognitive abilities may improve brain function in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study found. Results, published in the journal Radiology, showed that these games strengthen connections between neurons in the thalamus, a brain region crucial for information processing. The findings also add to…

Silvana L. Costa, PhD from the Kessler Foundation, was recently awarded a Switzer Research Fellowship by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). Dr. Costa is a Hearst Fellow in Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research at Kessler, where she investigates cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS). The Merit Fellowship,…

Shift.ms, the U.K. social network dedicated to people with multiple sclerosis (MS), is testing a new tool designed to help people cope with the uncertainties and complex emotions that follow their diagnosis. The tool, called Thought Sort, is the first online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) specially designed for MS patients.

Researchers identified a new mechanism in the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) that might explain the cognitive impairment and decline observed in these patients — a decline not directly associated with disease’s hallmarks of motor control loss, and one not currently addressed by the immunosuppressive drugs used to treat MS. The study, published…

Difficulties with cognitive function and fatigue are the main reasons patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) struggle to stay gainfully employed, a new study published in the December edition of the International Journal of MS Care has found. The study is titled “Factors Associated with Employment Status in Individuals with…

In a recent study published in the journal PLOS One, a team of researchers explored the differences in cognitive performance and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlates of cognitive deficits in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) to underscore the importance…

In a new study entitled “LINGO-1 antibody ameliorates myelin impairment and spatial memory deficits in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice”, a team of scientists report that the loss of myelin in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ brains contributes to their cognitive impairment. They showed that inhibiting protein LINGO-1 can…

A new study published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy assessed the cognitive factors affected in multiple sclerosis patients concerning their activity and participation in everyday life. The study is entitled “Factors That Moderate Activity Limitation and Participation Restriction in People With Multiple…

Researchers at Spedali Civili of Brescia in Italy recently published findings in the journal PLoS One that Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) can improve cognitive impairment in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) over the course of at least three years. The study is entitled “Natalizumab Significantly…

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…

Throughout the years, Dr. Sarah Thomas and Dr. Peter Thomas at Bournemouth University have been developing a program to aid multiple sclerosis patients affected by fatigue. Their program, developed at the Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit in collaboration with colleagues at Dorset Multiple Sclerosis Service at Poole Hospital, is a…

A team of Kessler Foundation researchers recently published their findings on the MEMREHAB trial, whereby treatment with the modified Story Memory Technique (mSMT) may be affected by cognitive dysfunction. The study entitled “The influence of cognitive dysfunction on benefit from learning and memory rehabilitation in MS:…

Can exercise help brain function in people with multiple sclerosis (MS)? A new study suggests that it is possible. The report appeared in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. Led by Robert Motl in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at…

A major trial to investigate different ways to deal with attention and memory problems in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients will take place at Nottingham in the United Kingdom. The Cognitive Rehabilitation for Attention and Memory in people with Multiple Sclerosis (CRAMMS) study will focus on these MS related symptoms…

A new study suggests that different types of physical activity might help the mental processes of people with multiple sclerosis. The research comes from the University of Illinois and the State University of New York at Buffalo, and appeared in the February 6th issue of the…

A study from a team of researchers at the Kessler Foundation provides new findings on multiple sclerosis (MS). According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology, cognitive fatigue exhibited by MS patients is related to the length of the task they are involved in. Fatigue…

The Cognitive Rehabilitation for Attention and Memory trial (CRAMMS), a major study to be conducted on patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, was recently awarded £1,167,000 ($1,828,000) by the British National Health Service (NHS), through its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Program. The study, which is expected to be the largest trial of its…

Trying to nail down the reason for executive deficits in multiple sclerosis can be difficult, considering the number of factors related to the condition. A team of researchers from the Kessler Foundation — led by Victoria Leavitt, PhD, who is now a part of the Manhattan Memory Center, and…

Any intervention that could help multiple sclerosis patients preserve long-term memory would likely be well-received. As suggested by a recent study from the Kessler Foundation, “Working Memory Mediates the Relationship Between Intellectual Enrichment and Long-term Memory in Multiple Sclerosis: An Exploratory Analysis of Cognitive Reserve,” one…

Synthetic Biologics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel drug candidates targeting specific pathogens that cause serious infections and diseases, announced that its latest data on Trimesta™, regarding cognitive and disability measures in women suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), will be presented at the 2014 Joint Americas and European Committees…

Researchers at the Kessler Foundation bolstered the knowledge of cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis patients with an article published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. This longitudinal study is one of the longest among studies of cognition in multiple sclerosis. “While cognitive impairment is known to affect…

A group of researchers led by Shin-ichiro Imai, MD, PhD, and Liana Roberts Stein, PhD, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been working on pathways to trace cognitive decline in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). It has been noted in previous research that brain cells derive energy for maintaining…

Researchers from the Kessler Foundation have found that higher educational achievement reduces the negative impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on cognitive status. The study appeared in Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. It was reported in the study that cognitive ability after experiencing TBI differs in individuals even when their injury levels were comparable. As…