August 21, 2019 Columns by Stephanie Towler The Clinical Trial I Participated in Was a Positive Experience I knew nothing about multiple sclerosis (MS) before 2012, including the cause, the cure, or any other details. I had so many unanswered questions about how I would live with MS when I was diagnosed. I had never heard of treatment for MS and was unsure of the…
August 7, 2019 Columns by Stephanie Towler It Could Be Worse: Practicing Positivity in Life with MS “It could be worse.” Thatās a phrase I say to myself when I feel defeated by my multiple sclerosis (MS). When I am exhausted or just feeling āoff,ā I think I about how much worse my situation could be.Ā Ā I speak for myself…
April 18, 2019 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: Do I Need Contrast Dye for an MRI? Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum.Ā This week’s question is inspired by the forum topicĀ “Gadolinium ā The contrast agent used in MRI scans,” from April 10,…
December 3, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: MRI Dyes, Lipids and MS, Gilenya Advisory, Possible Stem Cell Trial Artificial Intelligence May Help Reduce Dosage of Gadolinium in MRIs, Researchers Suggest There’s been concernĀ recently about the accumulation of gadolinium in the brains of people who’ve had MRIs. Gadolinium is the dye that’s used to provide the “contrast” that can highlight lesions in the brain that might…
May 10, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Severe Rebound Effects Found in ‘Relevant’ Number of MS Patients After Stopping Fingolimod Rebound symptoms after stoppingĀ fingolimod (Gilenya) treatment affect a “clinically relevant” number of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients,Ā a study byĀ University of California, San Francisco, researchers reported. The study called attention to the need for determining the best method of sequencing or stopping MS treatments, and highlighted the need to identify factors…
May 9, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC16 – High Glutamate Levels in Brain Seen to Drive MS Progression Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have increased levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate in their brains, lowering the levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) ā a processĀ that likely leads to the loss of brain volume. The findings indicate that glutamate might be a driver of neuronal cell death and disease progression in MS,…
March 7, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Study Explores Brain Damage in MS Patients with Autoimmune Comorbidities People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who also suffer from other autoimmune conditions, like thyroid disease orĀ diabetes, have more severeĀ brain damage than MS patients without comorbidities, according to a study fromĀ theĀ University at Buffalo. The study wasĀ recently published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology. An earlier report from…
February 2, 2016 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Multiple Sclerosis Lesions Quickly Detected with New MRI Technique Researchers developed a new way ofĀ using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to better distinguish multiple sclerosis (MS)-related āwhite spotsā from similar brain lesions that corresponding to other conditions. Their article, āImaging central veins in brain lesions with 3-T T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging differentiates multiple sclerosis from microangiopathic brain lesions,ā was…