Multiple sclerosis (MS) may follow two distinct biological paths that differ in how early and how quickly nerve damage develops, according to a new study. Using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze brain MRI scans together with a blood test linked to nerve damage, researchers identified one MS pattern marked…
disease progression
This year has been a lot for me to deal with. It’s held more grief, trauma, and growing pains for me than any year before it. And it all started with a relapse of my relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) that came after nearly nine years of remission following my…
Disability progression in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) tends to follow one of four distinct patterns, according to long-term data from more than 5,000 people with relapsing-onset MS followed in an Italian registry. The study specifically found that disability progression could generally be categorized into four patterns: minimal-worsening,…
Fear of a sudden relapse or a gradual worsening of MS symptoms is common among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a systematic review analyzing data from more than 3,000 people with MS. Those fears are not only widespread but also closely tied to poorer mental health, greater fatigue,…
In people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment with the antioxidant lipoic acid did not improve walking or lessen other symptoms, such as fatigue, but it did show signs of slowing brain atrophy, or the loss of brain tissue. According to the researchers, this suggests possible positive biological…
An enzyme called CEMIP could be a target for small-molecule inhibitors that aim to promote myelin repair in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions marked by myelin loss, a study found. Researchers discovered that CEMIP, which is elevated in areas of inflammatory nerve damage in people with…
Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have more paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) — areas of chronic active inflammation seen on MRI scans — tend to lose more brain volume over time, a new study found. These lesions were common in pediatric MS, a rare form of the disease…
Specific disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) significantly slow the rate of brain volume loss in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), a benefit that is directly linked to reduced long-term disability, according to a new review. A network meta-analysis of more than 26,000 patients confirms that therapies most effective at preserving…
Due to my uneasiness with heights, I complained a lot about parachuting throughout my career in the U.S. Army. There’s a small chance, however, that I haven’t been entirely fair. Sure, I was afraid every time, made some less-than-stellar landings, and sustained a few injuries, but those were really…
A six-month gluten-free diet significantly eased disability and supported a healthier body composition in women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new small study found. The findings support growing evidence linking the gut-brain axis and metabolic inflammation to MS, and suggest that a gluten-free diet may be a promising dietary…
Disability progression is not always permanent for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), even when it occurs independent of a relapse, a new study has found. Researchers report that nearly one-third of RRMS patients who experience progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) see their disability levels ease in the…
Oligodendrocytes, the cells that build and repair myelin in the brain and spinal cord, may play a role in the inflammatory processes involved in multiple sclerosis (MS), even at the earliest stages of disease, according to a study in a mouse model. “We found that oligodendrocytes transition to disease…
Simultaneously measuring levels of two blood proteins — glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) — may offer a clearer way to track both disease activity and disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new long-term study. Each…
A new wearable brain-mapping tool could dramatically change how doctors monitor people with multiple sclerosis (MS), making it easier to track disease progression and guide personalized care. Researchers showed the system, OPM-MEG, reliably detects abnormalities in the brain’s electrical activity in MS patients. The portable technology is a major…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to have high levels of antibodies targeting the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but levels of these antibodies are not associated with disease activity or clinical worsening among MS patients. That’s according to the study, “Evaluating the role of anti-EBV antibodies…
Researchers have identified a protein that naturally slows myelin production — a finding that could lead to ways to repair myelin damage in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders. In mice, the protein (called Tfii-i) was found to limit the activity of genes that drive myelin formation. When…
Having a higher body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight, at diagnosis is tied to faster disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study in Sweden. This effect was particularly pronounced when excess weight…
Signs of myelin damage are detectable about one year before damage to nerve fibers is apparent and about seven years before the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, a new study reveals. These findings shed new light on the timing of MS onset, and could open new avenues to…
Abnormal brain cells, known as disease-associated radial glia or DARGs, may play a key role in driving chronic inflammation in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. Based on the finding, researchers are now working to better understand the biology of DARGs, with an…
Seizures in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be driven by changes in levels of certain brain signaling molecules, implying that targeting these molecules may be a viable strategy to treat MS-related seizures, according to new research done in a mouse model. “If the same transporters and receptors are…
A new grant from the Valhalla Foundation will help Octave Bioscience advance the development of a biomarker blood test for detecting disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The company is developing its MS Disease Progression test, or MSDP, to objectively measure MS progression based on…
Disability progression does not seem to worsen in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) after they undergo menopause, according to the largest study of its kind. Instead, other factors such as older age at MS onset, longer disease duration, and worse initial disability scores were associated with an increased risk…
Up to six years of continuous treatment with Briumvi (ublituximab) led to sustained reductions in relapse rates and a low rate of disability progression in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), with no new safety concerns reported. That’s according to new long-term data from the…
Most people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) given Mavenclad (cladribine) did not experience confirmed disability progression for at least four years after starting on the approved therapy, according to new Phase 4 trial data. The results come from the CLARIFY-MS (NCT03369665) and MAGNIFY-MS (NCT03364036)…
Frexalimab, a therapy Sanofi is developing for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, led to sustained reductions in disease activity in people with relapsing forms of MS over more than two years of treatment, while continuing to show a favorable safety profile. That’s according to new data from an…
Consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods (UPF) — products high in additives, artificial ingredients, and extensive processing — is associated with increased disease activity in people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), which is the first presentation of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study has found. The analysis used a…
Treatment with equecabtagene autoleucel, known for short as eque-cel — Iaso Biotherapeutics‘ CAR T-cell therapy candidate for people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) — was well tolerated and led to an easing of disability for five patients taking part in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The…
I love to travel and have a bucket list of places I want to visit and things I want to see and do in my lifetime. For example, I want to see the pyramids in Egypt. I want to go ice fishing in Minnesota. I want to stay in an…
I celebrated my mid-century birthday two weeks ago with an online dance party with friends, family, and patients in “The Myelin Room” — a monthly Zoom event. At 50, I’ve officially grown up. I no longer think of myself as a “girl.” The more dignified “woman” feels more appropriate.
Some older people with multiple sclerosis (MS), namely those older than 60, may be able to safely discontinue disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as long as they continue to be regularly monitored for new disease activity, a new study suggests. The findings showed that people older than 50 generally experience an…