April 15, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Kessler scientists using $700K grant to study primary fatigue in MS A team of Kessler Foundation researchers has been granted more than $700,000 by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for work that seeks to better understand the brain networks associated with primary fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The grant, totaling $722,602, was awarded to Glenn Wylie, PhD,…
January 18, 2024 News by Mary Chapman Scientist granted $700K to study care barriers for Latino MS patients A Kessler Foundation research scientist will use a multiyear, $704,054 federal grant to study care barriers, cardiovascular risk factors, and accelerated brain aging in Latino multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, the nonprofit healthcare organization announced in a press release. Cristina A. F. RomĆ”n, PhD, an investigator with Kessler’s Rocco…
September 15, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Kessler Foundation researchers to explore improving cognition in MS Researchers at the Kessler Foundation have received $725,499 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to study how to improve learning and memory in multiple sclerosis (MS). The team will use the funding to evaluate the benefits of a cognitive intervention called COMBINE, which involves cognitive training and…
June 16, 2022 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Signal Detection Theory May Help Measure MS Cognitive Fatigue A new tool called signal detection theory (SDT) found a relationship between subjective cognitive fatigue, often experienced by people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and the activation of certain brain regions, a study reported. Although the relationship was found in both patients and healthy controls after cognitive fatigue was…
January 24, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD $600K Grant Supports Trial of Intervention to Improve Life Quality A Kessler Foundation scientist has been awarded nearly $600,000 to support the development and testing of a behavioral therapy intervention aiming to improve quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). An upcoming clinical trial into the intervention (NCT05195320), expected to begin…
February 15, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: DMTs and COVID-19 Vaccines, Better Trials, Ocrevus, Spinal Lesions National MS Society Urges DMT Dosing Changes for COVID-19 Vaccinations The National MS Society has revised its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations first issued about a month ago. The guidelines still say the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are considered safe for people with MS, including those using disease-modifying therapies, or DMTs.
February 10, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD Trial to Examine if Ocrevus Eases Cognitive Fatigue in RRMS Researchers at the Kessler Foundation, with support from Genentech, are opening a study into howĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) affects cognitive fatigue ā the feeling of complete exhaustion after focused concentration ā in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Cognitive fatigue is a frequent problem with MS, reported in…
January 21, 2021 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS New Study Will Assess Tysabri Effects on MS Cognitive Fatigue Researchers from the Kessler Foundation will launch a new study investigating the effects of Tysabri (natalizumab) on cognitive fatigue ā the type of fatigue that happens after strong mental concentration, such as in problem-solving ā in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Cognitive fatigue, which is very…
February 21, 2020 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Spanish Modified Story Memory Technique Improves Cognitive Performance in Mexican Patients with MS, Study Says The Spanish version of the modified Story Memory Technique improves learning and life satisfaction of Mexican patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests.Ā The tool, developed by the Kessler Foundation, has the potential to address the lack of cognitive rehabilitation interventions that are culturally…
October 9, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD CMSC Grant to Support Kessler Foundation Study of Low-risk Exercise in MS The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) has awarded a grant to Kessler Foundation researchers, supporting a pilot study into how well different low-risk exercise regimens ease multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and improve patients’ well-being. The grant recipients areĀ John DeLuca, PhD, senior vice president for…
October 7, 2019 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Tests of Cognitive Abilities Very Useful in Judging Everyday Life Skills, But Study Advises Pairing with Other Tests Testing cognitive abilities ā like learning and memory, processing speed, and verbal fluency ā can give valuable clues as to how well people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are able to go about their daily lives, according to a review study led byĀ Kessler FoundationĀ researchers. Neuropsychological tests are of “significant predictive…
September 6, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias Social Cognition: Does It Impact MS Symptoms? Feeling tired, depressed, or anxious? Maybe it has to do with your social cognition. Social cognition involves empathy and recognizing the emotions that are revealed by someone’s facial expression. That expression may show fear or disgust. Or it may warn us of danger. Social cognition also involves the…
September 3, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Poorer Social Cognition Linked to Worse Fatigue, Depression, and Anxiety in People with MS Social cognitive deficits in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with higher levels of fatigue, depressive symptoms, and anxiety, new research conducted at theĀ Kessler FoundationĀ has found. Even though the study included only a small group of participants, it represents a step toward better understanding of the underlying…
July 29, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD $1.83M NIH Grant Supports Trial into STEM, Learning and Memory Training for Adults with MS The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $1.83 million grant to aĀ Kessler Foundation researcher leading a clinical trial to test if a month-long cognitive training program can improve learning and memory in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of the Centers…
June 25, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New Jersey Health Foundation Awards $70,000 to Kessler Foundation Researchers Studying MS and Stroke Two researchers at Kessler Foundation were awarded grants of $35,000 each by the New Jersey Health Foundation to pursue their investigations into new ways to improve rehabilitative care for disabilities caused by multiple sclerosis (MS) and stroke. One of the awardees…
February 28, 2019 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc National MS Society Grants $50,000 to Kessler Researchers to Study Processing Speed in MS Kessler Foundation researchers Ekaterina Dobryakova, PhD, and Pei-Pei Liu, PhD, have been awarded a $50,000 grant by the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society to studyĀ the speed at which MS patients processĀ information during social interactions. A better understanding of how MS affects the way a person learns from others’…
September 25, 2018 News by Diogo Pinto With Age, Depression Lessens and Quality of Life Improves in MS Patients, Researchers Report A recent study found that elder individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience significantly less severe depressive symptoms and better quality of life than their younger counterparts. The research, āSubjective well-being differs with age in multiple sclerosis: A brief report,ā was published in the journal Rehabilitation Psychology.
September 21, 2018 News by Diogo Pinto Processing Speed Training May Help Improve Cognitive Function in MS Patients, Pilot Study Suggests A brain training technique that helps boost processing speed was seen to significantly improve the cognitive capacity of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, as well as their ability to perform everyday activities, a pilot study shows. The study, āA Pilot Study Examining Speed of Processing Training (SPT) to Improve…
August 13, 2018 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Kessler Foundation Scientist Receives NMSS Grant to Study Information Processing Speed in MS Patients Kessler Foundation scientist Silvana Costa, PhD, was awarded a $477,000 grant from theĀ National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS)Ā to explore the effects of visual, cognitive, and motor deficits on information processing speed in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Costa is an associate research scientist in neuropsychology and neuroscience research.
May 25, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD 2 Common Tests Used to Assess Deficits in MS Produce Different Results, Study Finds Learning impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) are detected differently by the two most commonly used neuropsychological tests, a new study by the Kessler Foundation shows. The research, titled āComparing the Open Trial ā Selective Reminding Test results with the California Learning Verbal Test II in multiple…
January 12, 2018 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Researcher Wins National MS Society Grant to Study Patients’ Emotional Processing Challenges A $44,000Ā National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ grant will allow a researcher at theĀ Kessler FoundationĀ to advance her work on multiple sclerosisĀ patients’Ā emotional processing challenges. Dr.Ā Helen Genova, Kessler’s assistant director of neuropsychology and neuroscience research, has been studying cognitive dysfunction in people with various diseases, including MS. In addition to neurological problems,…
March 16, 2016 News by Charles Moore Australian MS Researcher Devising Ways to Use Smartwatches as Memory Aids Dr. Hannah Gullo, a University of Queensland (UQ) School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences researcher,Ā is several steps closer to achieving her goal of using smartwatches to combat the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS), thanks to an $8,000 Ian Ballard Travel Award for 2016 that will fund her flying from…
March 8, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Kessler Foundation MS Researcher Awarded $70,000 Fellowship to Investigate Cognitive Function Silvana L. Costa, PhD fromĀ the Kessler Foundation,Ā wasĀ 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,…
March 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Kessler Researcher Awarded $408,000 by MS Society to Study Ways of Easing Fatigue Ekaterina Dobryakova, PhD, was recently awarded a three-year grant worth $408,000 by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to study fatigue-influencing factors among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Dobryakova is a researcher in Traumatic Brain Injury Research at theĀ Kessler Foundation, where she focuses on cognitive issues in…
September 28, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Kessler Foundation Researchers Report BICAMS Can Predict Performance of Everyday Life Activities in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Kessler Foundation researchers recently reported that the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) is able to predict the performance of normal daily activities. According to the researchers, the BICAMS is a promising tool to predict actual functional performance in participants with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a progressive…
November 4, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD National MS Society Grants $457,921 to Kessler Foundation Researcher The National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ recently awarded MS researcher Lauren Strober, PhD from the Kessler Foundation, a three-year grant for her investigational research, totaling $457,921. The funding is part of a multi-site study that will be conducted by the investigator to understand the influence that having…
September 29, 2014 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Kessler Study Recommends Wellness Program for Multiple Sclerosis In today’s healthcare environment, it is often not enough that patients are provided with the latest treatments. Good health is not merely the absence of injury or disease, but overall wellness that includes mental, spiritual and social health. A group of investigators from the Kessler Foundation…
September 18, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Cognitive Defects in Multiple Sclerosis Caused in Part By Brain Processing Speed 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…
September 11, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Working Memory and Cognitive Reserve Linked in MS Kessler Foundation Study Any intervention that could helpĀ 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…
June 25, 2014 News by Maureen Newman Long-Term Cognitive Impairment from Multiple Sclerosis Reaffirmed by Kessler Foundation 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…