Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a plant-derived small molecule that can promote the growth of cells that produce myelin, the protective coating around nerve fibers that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). The naturally occurring molecule, sulfuretin, blocks the activity of an enzyme that…

Taking high-dose cholecalciferol (vitamin D) as a supplement is safe and can nearly double the time it takes for people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a first manifestation of neurological symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS), to experience new disease activity. That’s according to data from D-Lay-MS…

Glial cells, which mostly support the function of nerve cells, play key roles in multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression and development, according to a stem cell-based study. “Most research and therapeutic strategies have so far focused on blocking the overactive immune system, but how cells in the brain itself,…

Inflammation outside of the brain and spinal cord, which can be caused by infections like the common cold, flu, or urinary tract infections (UTIs), is associated with more damage to the nervous system in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to the study “…

My last magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan was on May 1, just ahead of an appointment with my multiple sclerosis (MS) healthcare provider six days later. The MRI showed that my MS was stable, meaning I had no new or active lesions. I was pleasantly surprised by these…

Health Canada has approved the commercial use of ETNA-MS, a software-based medical device that uses eye tracking to noninvasively measure disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Short for Eye-Tracking Neurological Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis, ETNA-MS assesses disease severity based on a person’s eye movements. It’s intended for…

The antihistamine clemastine accelerated disease progression by more than five times in some adults with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) who received it in a Phase 1/2 trial, new data show. Joanna Kocot, PhD, a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), showed that this effect is at least…

The ongoing worsening of disability among people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) may be predicted by elevated blood levels of the GFAP protein, a marker of damage to star-shaped support cells in the brain and spinal cord called astrocytes, a study suggests. The risk of disability progression was…

Where has the year gone? As we move closer to Christmas and a new year, I’ve pondered what the past 12 months of change have brought to my life. At the beginning of the year, I was working full time and still coming to terms with the diagnosis of…

Fewer men than women are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in China — as elsewhere — but more male patients have faster MS disability progression and higher death rates, a study found. Over the next 25 years, the burden of MS is expected to persist in China, the researchers…

Losing the sense of smell is associated with a higher likelihood of worse disease outcomes for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a six-year follow-up study. Specifically, patients who are getting worse at identifying and discriminating odors are at higher risk of disability worsening, relapse-independent MS progression, and…

Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly reduced the development of brain lesions on MRI scans in Japanese people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a new study. The therapy also eased or stabilized disability levels in most patients after five years of treatment, and significantly reduced the annual rate of…

Levels of GFAP protein in the blood — a marker of damage to support cells in the brain — were associated with the enlargement of brain lesions and of fluid-filled brain cavities called ventricles in people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) undergoing Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment, a study showed. While…

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) can greatly reduce quality of life for patients and affect their ability to work, according to real-world data collected from a German MS registry. These results “confirm the steadily deteriorating course of PPMS accompanied by increasingly limited quality of life,” researchers wrote. The study,…

Researchers identified a genetic variant that associated with faster multiple sclerosis (MS) progression and greater brain tissue damage, according to a study that combined data on more than 12,500 patients in North America, Europe and Australia. Unlike previously detected MS-related variants linked to the immune system, this variant sits…

People with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) seem to experience slower worsening of their disabilities than those with the primary progressive form of the disease (PPMS), a new study reports. However, SPMS patients tend to be older and have more advanced disability when they enter the progressive stage…

Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are both associated with significantly faster disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but snuff, a smokeless tobacco product placed behind the upper lip, seems to slow MS progression, a study in Sweden suggests. Findings also linked smoking and secondhand exposure, also…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) was equally effective in reducing disease activity after two years in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new study reports. The therapy also slowed disease progression in both groups, although a stronger effect was seen with RRMS patients…

Continuous treatment with Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) for more than two years did not slow clinical and radiological measures of disease progression in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) compared with patients who started treatment after one year. In fact, most PPMS patients remained stable with or without…

Long-term use of the investigational BTK inhibitor evobrutinib among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) continues to maintain MS relapse rates, and keep MRI lesion activity low. That’s according to up to 3.5 years of data from a Phase 2 trial (NCT02975349) and its open-label…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) have lower cholesterol levels in their blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, compared with those without MS, a study reports. These lower cholesterol levels might correlate with a more…

Evaluating a person’s sense of smell may help monitor disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. Almost a third of MS patients studied showed signs of smell loss in clinical evaluations and the degree of impairment correlated with clinical measures of disease, such…

The presence of iron rim lesions, which are regions of chronic inflammation seen on MRI scans, may be linked to a more severe disease course in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. The findings suggest the presence and number of iron rim lesions could serve…

The composition of bacteria in the gut is altered in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients compared with healthy people in the same household, a new study reports. That bacterial composition is affected by disease-modifying therapies and seems to be associated with disease severity. These findings could aid in developing…

The 11 active tests of the dreaMS smartphone app — which evaluates functional domains affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) — enabled reliable and remote measurement of neurologic functions and were perceived as meaningful among MS patients, a small trial shows. Data collected through the app could offer a…

It’s been a year and a half since I was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). I still have use of my limbs and am able to walk, albeit shakily, without a walker. My eyesight has not been affected, I drive, and am able to carry on a…

Switching from a standard monthly course of Tysabri (natalizumab) to an extended-interval dosing administered every six weeks does not seem to increase neuronal damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. While individual blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve damage, did…

Labcorp has launched a widely accessible test that measures the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve damage, to screen for signs of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The test is performed on a standard blood sample taken at a hospital, at the…

OM1 has created an artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithm to estimate scores on the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), an established method for evaluating disability and disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The algorithm, using a method called machine learning, was trained to estimate EDSS scores…

Serum levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) — proteins found in nerve cell projections — can help in the prediction of disease progression among people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of data from two large Phase 3 trials. The researchers said that NfL…