disease progression

Aspirin, administered orally at low doses, was sufficient to suppress multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms in a mouse model of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and chronic MS, a study reports. The clinical benefits of aspirin were linked to an increase in the number of regulatory T-cells, those responsible for shutting…

The formation of new myelin sheaths by oligodendrocytes is impaired in the absence of a small molecule, called Vav3, that oversees pathways regulating the shape of oligodendrocytes, new study reports. Its researchers pinpoint Vav3 as a potential therapeutic target to improve and speed myelin repair in diseases like multiple sclerosis…

I remember the feeling of having a terrible cold or flu before I had multiple sclerosis (MS). The stuffy nose that made breathing nearly impossible. That elusive tickle in the back of my throat combined with a hacking cough. Cold and flu season is a miserable time, and I…

I’m coming up on the second anniversary of my Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) treatment. My first infusion round was the first week of December 2016. Round 2, delayed by four months, was done last April. So, it’s time to update my Lemtrada journey for you. Lemtrada, in case you’re not…

Homotaurine, a compound proven safe for humans in long-term clinical trials, has eased autoimmune responses, brain inflammation, and multiple sclerosis-like symptoms in a mouse model of the disease, a study has found. The findings represent proof-of-principle evidence that homotaurine may represent a new potential class…

MS-specific Lineage of Oligodendrocytes May Provide New Hints on MS Development Our immune system, according to this study, may not be the only thing playing a role in the development of our MS. The same cells that produce the myelin that coats our nerves may also be…

The cells that produce myelin in the brain and spinal cord, called oligodendrocytes, may play an active role in the onset or progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study combining data from MS mouse models and the human brain. This discovery supports the…

Appropriate control of immune B-cell numbers and activation in the nervous system is key to preventing inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study. These findings also showed that patients with higher levels of a specific B-cell-regulating cell type had less disease activity. The study, “…

Blocking SARM1, a protein identified as a central mediator of nerve cell degeneration, works to prevent damage to axons — nerve cell fibers essential in cell-to-cell communication — and may be a way of treating neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), data from Disarm Therapeutics shows. Specially, genetically deleting…

The ability to track multiple sclerosis (MS) at any time, gain a more complete picture of each patient’s disease course and a better understanding of MS are among the possible benefits of the FLOODLIGHT app, according to Laura Julian, PhD, principal medical science director at Genentech. The company…

Diabetes, hypertension, and active smoking correlate with more brain shrinkage in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a new study shows. The study, “Assessing the burden of vascular risk factors on brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis: A case- control MRI study” was published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Have you ever seen an iceberg? The prism of packed ice illuminates the surrounding sea. The part you can see is beautiful, yet most of its mass lies beneath the surface. You cannot know what you cannot see. Therefore, your perception is based on what is visible. What…

Myelin loss might be prevented by astrocytes, a brain cell that regulates myelin’s thickness in coating nerve fibers to support the proper transmission of nerve signals, after astrocytes were seen to block an enzyme called thrombin in a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its…

Blocking a molecule that is overly abundant in the nervous system of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and has been linked to nerve cell damage in animals, worked to significantly ease inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration in mouse models  of secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a study reports. Treatment…

Infection with the most common member of the herpes virus family, called HHV-6, may pass unnoticed and without symptoms, but the very act of being infected significantly accelerated the development and progression of a multiple sclerosis-like disease in nonhuman primates, a study reports. Its findings support the role of viral infection in…

Stem cells from patients with Parkinson’s disease and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) are soon to voyage into space, and be brought aboard the International Space Station so cell-to-cell interactions in these neurodegenerative diseases can be studied without gravitational forces acting on them. This research project, proposed to launch in May…

Treating patients with primary progressive or relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) early with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is key to slowing disease progression, according to Hideki Garren, global head of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology at Genentech. In an interview with Multiple Sclerosis News Today at the recent 34th congress of the European Committee for Treatment…

Stress granules forming inside the nerve cells of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be the underlying cause of nerve cell degeneration and permanent disability in these patients, researchers report. The reason for this stress response seems to a protein that behaves aberrantly in the neurons of an…

An enzyme produced by bacteria in the gut was seen to activate immune cells linked to the development and progression of multiple sclerosis, a finding that may pave the way for a vaccine that might alter autoimmune mechanisms involved in MS. The study, “…

Some days are hard, while others are still harder. Then there are days that bring you to your knees. I am kneeling. Pain ricochets through my body like a pinball machine on tilt. Flashing lights dance as if to announce the imminent. “Danger, Will Robinson!” I hit…

Although brain atrophy — the loss of brain volume — is an increasingly important measure in multiple sclerosis trials and treatment outcomes, MS patients have a limited understanding of its role in disease progression, a survey reveals. This finding was detailed in the presentation “…

Measuring the blood level of neurofilament light chain (NfL) may predict brain shrinkage in primary progressive (PPMS) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to a new study. The findings also show that NfL levels are associated with brain lesion load in these patients. The research, “…

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 — a prolonged absence of any disease activity — possible, said an…

When I was diagnosed in 2010 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), I didn’t know what to expect. It quickly became apparent that my doctors didn’t know, either. I’m sure they could have given me some scenarios of what my future might be…

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels higher than a proposed threshold have a higher risk of disease activity, and worsened disability, lesions and brain shrinkage in the long term, according to a new study. The research, “Serum neurofilament light (NfL)…

Lesions in the infratentorial region of the brain at the onset of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and lesions in white matter one year after CIS onset are associated with worse disability 30 years later, a study reports. The study, “Early MRI predictors of long-term multiple sclerosis outcomes:…

A higher frequency of early relapses, as well as a larger volume of lesions and older age at disease onset, increase the risk of transitioning from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to a study. The study, “Early cortical pathology and…

Infections and complications from severe disability are the greatest contributors to mortality among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a population-based study in British Columbia, Canada, which also found that that MS is a more common underlying cause of death among younger patients. The study, “Causes that…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with depression or bipolar disorder may be at higher risk of becoming incapacitated and seeing their disability worsen faster, according to a Swedish study. A depressive state may increase the central nervous system response’s to inflammation and accelerate the…

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, “…