disease progression

Removing a specific microRNA molecule — miR-150 – eased disease severity, inflammation, and loss of myelin in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers report. Their study, “Silencing miR-150 Ameliorates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis,” was published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are…

Higher-than-usual levels of specific antibodies in the blood of patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) may predict a faster progression to multiple sclerosis (MS), an Australian study reports. The specific antibody is known as IgG3, an immunoglobulin known to promote inflammation. The study, “Higher Serum Immunoglobulin G3 Levels May Predict…

Pregnancy, including successful delivery or miscarriage, worsens symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as onset of the disease, a retrospective study shows. Researchers found the same effect of pregnancy on neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), an inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system characterized by demyelination and damage of…

Oral DMTs Still Common 1st Therapy for New MS Patients but Ocrevus Having Impact, Market Report Says Deciding on what therapy to use is a tough decision for people with MS and their doctors. That’s especially true for someone who is newly diagnosed. Do you go with…

Oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are the most common first choice of treatment for people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United States, an analysis reports. Antibody-based DMTs like Ocrevus, however, are emerging competitors. Spherix Global Insights, a market research and analysis company, states that 1 in every…

Activation of the immune response mediated by cells called microglia favors remyelination and myelin repair in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new Canadian study using mice. The research, “mCSF-Induced Microglial Activation Prevents Myelin Loss and Promotes Its Repair in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis,” was…

Cerebrospinal fluid levels of neurofilament light chain, a protein associated with nerve cell damage, can predict disease progression in people with clinical isolated syndrome (CIS) and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a Swedish study found. Higher levels…

A better understanding of the processes behind a continual and healthy renewal of myelin — the fatty, protective substance wrapping nerve cell fibers — may now exist. Researchers identified an enzyme, called PRMT5, that they believe regulates the number of myelin-producing cells in the brain and spinal cord. Their discovery…

Brain Iron Levels Correlate with MS Progression, Disability Risk, Study Shows Currently, doctors measure shrinkage in the brain as a way to predict physical and cognitive decline in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). But it takes a long time to see this brain atrophy on a standard…

It’s not unusual to hear someone say, “I was diagnosed with MS in [fill in the year], but I probably should have been diagnosed five or 10 years earlier.” Now a study reports that during the five years before someone is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), it’s quite…

Evaluating the local differences in iron accumulation in the deep gray matter of the brain using a special magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, may help identify multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at greater risk for disease progression and disability, a study reports. The study “Brain Iron by Using Quantitative MRI…

I’m now three months past my second round of Lemtrada treatments, so it’s time for an update. I began Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) in December 2016, hoping it will be the last disease-modifying therapy that I’ll ever need to use. I’ve had peaks and valleys since this treatment began, thus…

Cladridine may be effective in preventing disability progression and reducing damage to nerve cells in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers suggest based on a case study of two such patients given the injectable treatment. MS is characterized by progressive degeneration of cells in the central nervous system, mostly…

I am told I have primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), and my symptoms appear to be in line with that diagnosis. I continually have a slow gait, leg weakness, balance issues, and fatigue. There is never a break from those symptoms. Intermittently, I have cognitive issues, slurred speech, and burning…

A common anti-parasitic agent showed a potential to prevent inflammation and to promote nerve cell recovery — remyelination — in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). By promoting the activity of a receptor called P2X4R that is present in microglial cells — immune cells that reside in the brain…

Brain volume loss takes place at a faster rate in the first five years of multiple sclerosis than later in disease course, researchers report in a study that calls for scientists to “reconsider” — for this and related reasons — proposals to use volume loss as a measure of treatment efficacy…

An MRI technique known as magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) correlated closely with the progression of slowly evolving lesions (SELs) — a specific type of multiple sclerosis lesion — in patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS). According to the researchers, monitoring changes in SELs — which indicate demyelination and loss of nerve fibers —…

Atrophy seen in areas of the spinal cord is a better predictor of physical disability in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients than loss of brain volume, a new study reports. The research was presented at the 4th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), recently held in Lisbon,…

Grey matter atrophy — its loss —  follows a sequential pattern that expands to involve more regions of the brain over time in all multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, regardless of their disease type, a new study reports. Atrophy progression is also similar between relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS)…

A new fluorescent imaging strategy allows researchers to track T-cells and further understand their dynamics in vivo, giving them insight into what happens when these immune cells attack myelin in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The new technology was reported in the study, “A timer for…

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used to assess inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients should include scans of the spinal cord and not be restricted to the brain, because brain scans alone risk underestimating disease progression, a study suggests. These results were shared in the presentation, “Measuring disease activity in…

Measuring the response of the pupil to light stimulating the eye is a non-invasive and easy way to assess multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and progression, researchers report. A clinical study found that poor, or dysfunctional, pupil response was associated with longer disease duration and greater disease severity in relapsing-remitting multiple…

Levels of neurofilament light chain are a reliable predictor of disease worsening and progression in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients, a new study shows. Moreover, treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod), marketed by Novartis, can reduce the levels of NfL for up to 10 years. These findings were shared recently in the presentation “…

Long-term treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)  — as well as switching from Rebif (interferon beta-1a) to Ocrevus — leads to a significant and sustained reduction in disease activity in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). These previously reported findings are further supported by the latest results drawn from pooled data…

Discovery of ‘Fiery’ Cell Death Mechanism May Be MS ‘Game-Changer’ Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a process that may be responsible for destroying myelin. Better than that, they also think they have a way of limiting that process using a medication. The inhibitor, known…

Treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) slows disability progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in ways that may be of considerable importance to patients — including the possibility of delaying the need for a wheelchair by up to seven years, according to new data from a Phase 3…

Researchers have unveiled a new cell death mechanism called pyroptosis — also known as “fiery death” — as a main factor driving neurodegeneration and loss of myelin in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). An inhibitor of pyroptosis, currently undergoing testing in human clinical trials for epilepsy, decreased central nervous system inflammation…

Young adults at age 20 who are obese and smoke are not only at a higher risk of developing relapsing multiple sclerosis — those who become MS patients after age 20 are also more likely to advance to secondary progressive MS more quickly, researchers in Sweden report. But the link…

Atrophy (shrinkage) of brain lesions correlates with physical disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research reports. The study, “Atrophied Brain Lesion Volume: A New Imaging Biomarker in Multiple Sclerosis,” was published in the Journal of Neuroimaging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are used routinely on MS patients…

Inhibiting an oxidative stress enzyme called myeloperoxidase protects the blood-brain barrier in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), limiting the migration of immune cells and halting their attack on nerve cells, researchers have found. Disruption of the blood-brain barrier is a hallmark of various disorders, including MS, and when…