There have been plenty of interesting stories on Multiple Sclerosis News Today over the last seven days. Here is my Pick of the Week’s news. Tremors Linked to MS Poorly Treated with Symptomatic Medication, Study Finds It will come as no surprise to those of us with MS that disabling tremors,…
MRI
Detecting brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients requires high quality scans, too expensive and complicated for routine clinical use. But this may change with a new software that simplifies the calculation of brain atrophy based on data from routine magnetic resonance images (MRI). The new tool and its benefits were recently described…
Researchers working with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are often faced with a problem: an average MRI brain scan produces a considerable amount of images (around 600 megabytes), but half carry distortions that make them unreadable. These “phase images,” as they are known, are usually discarded and their insights lost. Now, the work of researchers…
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have higher levels of a micro-RNA called miR-150 in their cerebrospinal fluid, a liquid surrounding and protecting the brain and spinal cord. The study, validating the finding in some 600 people, suggests that miR-150 might be a marker for MS, distinguishing the disease from other neurological conditions.
Data recently presented at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual Meeting showed that Roche/Genentech’s investigational drug ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) lowered the risk of disability progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a condition for which no approved treatments exist. The study was presented during the “…
The evolution of the myelin sheath throughout childhood has been visualized in vivo for a first time, according to findings reported in the study “Mapping an index of the myelin g-ratio in infants using magnetic resonance imaging,” published in the journal NeuroImage. To function well, nerve cells in the brain rely on…
Researchers reported that patients with myelitis who later develop multiple sclerosis (MS) might be distinguished from others with myelitis by a number of characteristics, like the location and size of spinal cord lesions, a finding that might help clinicians diagnose MS and initiate treatment at an early stage. Myelitis, an…
The precision of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurement has improved over the years, and now scans can identify brain damage before symptoms begin showing. Whether the presence of new or expanding lesions predict disease progression is, however, still controversial, and clinicians have no guidance when making treatment decisions about the…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who also suffer from other autoimmune conditions, like thyroid disease or diabetes, have more severe brain damage than MS patients without comorbidities, according to a study from the University at Buffalo. The study was recently published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology. An earlier report from…
Dr. Daniel S. Reich with Johns Hopkins University is giving an oral talk on “MRI as an Outcome Measure in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis” at Friday’s ACTRIMS Forum 2016. This year’s meeting focuses on progressive MS, and runs through Saturday, Feb. 20, in New Orleans. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been the…
Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers reported that antibodies directed at lipids are associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain degeneration in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and may potentially serve as biomarkers for monitoring disease status. While the hyperintense brain lesions detected by MRI are crucial for diagnosis and therapeutic…
Researchers developed a new way of using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to better distinguish multiple sclerosis (MS)-related “white spots” from similar brain lesions that corresponding to other conditions. Their article, “Imaging central veins in brain lesions with 3-T T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging differentiates multiple sclerosis from microangiopathic brain lesions,” was…
IQuity Labs, which specializes in diagnostic tests for autoimmune and other diseases, recently announced that it has received $2 million in seed funding to support the launch of its test panels, diagnostic tests designed to confirm the presence or absence of disease at the very onset of symptoms. The first to…
A Canadian study showed that child-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by increased functional connectivity within the brain, most likely a compensatory effect to preserve function and protect against physical disability. The study, titled “Alterations in Functional and Structural Connectivity in Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis,“ was published in the journal …
Ralph H. Benedict, PhD, professor of neurology at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo (UB), has been selected by The International Neuropsychological Society (INS) to receive the 2016 INS Mid-Career Award, also called Arthur Benton Award, for his work on…
A recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE described a new technique with the potential to spot brain changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) before the onset of symptoms. The technique, which measures brain dynamic activity and brain entropy, may lead to the development of diagnostic — and possibly prognostic —…
Juntendo University Hospital, the first medical school in Japan to adopt Western medicine, recently signed a research agreement with SyntheticMR to employ the company’s SyMRI technology in clinical research projects at the hospital involving patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or brain tumor metastases. SyntheticMR is a Swedish company developing and commercializing software…
In a new study entitled “Reduced cortical microvascular oxygenation in multiple sclerosis: a blinded, case-controlled study using a novel quantitative near-infrared spectroscopy method,” a team of researchers at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary investigated whether frequency domain near-infrared spectroscopy technology can measure the potential…
A collective team of physician-researchers comprising Dr. Peter Calabresi from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Dr. Laura Balcer from NYU Langone Medical Center, and Dr. Elliot Frohman from University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine are the winners of the 2015 Barancik Prize for Innovation…
In a recent study published in the journal PLOS One, a team of researchers explored the differences in cognitive performance and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlates of cognitive deficits in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) to underscore the importance…
Three parallel sessions concerning multiple sclerosis (MS) prevention, clinical phenotypes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were featured at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), recently held in Barcelona, Spain (October 7 – 10, 2015). The first parallel session was entitled “Will MS…
Biometrica MS, a technology that provides an easy to use service for neurologists to quantify lesion load as well as brain volume measures in clinical practice, is a web-based image analysis tool that was recently launched at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple…
Genzyme recently announced results from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis of participants in the Phase III TEMSO clinical trial showing that Aubagio® (teriflunomide) was able to slow the loss of brain volume (or atrophy) versus a placebo over two years in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). Brain volume loss (BVL)…
Icometrix, a leader in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (MS), has recently announced a collaboration agreement with Novartis Pharma AG regarding MSmetrix – a measurement tool especially designed to assess brain volume and atrophy, as well as existing, new or enlarging brain lesions in MS patients. Monitoring…
A study led by researchers from the University of Buffalo recently reported the development of a new method to study brain cell interaction more precisely. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications and entitled “Spatial mapping of juxtacrine axo-glial interactions identifies novel molecules in peripheral…
In a newly published study in the PLOS One journal entitled “Reliability of Intra-Retinal Layer Thickness Estimates“, researchers from Germany explored the precision and reliability of a medical imaging technique named optical coherence tomography (OCT) in measurements of thickness of different intra-retinal layers in…
A new study published in the journal Statistical Methods in Medical Research revealed a new method to determine the disease course in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study is entitled “Joint assessment of dependent discrete disease state processes” and was conducted by researchers at…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a devastating, progressive disease of the nervous system. It is caused by loss of myelin, a fatty substance that wraps around nerve cells and allows them to conduct impulses and communicate. When myelin is lost, areas of damage called “lesions” result, which appear in the brain and…
Researchers at Spedali Civili of Brescia in Italy recently published findings in the journal PLoS One that Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) can improve cognitive impairment in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) over the course of at least three years. The study is entitled “Natalizumab Significantly…
Results from the BENEFIT11 trial indicate that early treatment with IFNB-1b leads to improvements in cognition and fatigue in the long-term, as well as sustained employment and favorable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes, measured at the 11-year mark. Supported by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, the study, titled “Long-term Impact of Early MS Treatment with…