January 4, 2024 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister How good surveillance can help detect the early signs of MS About four years before I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), someone else inadvertently ādiagnosedā me. This person wasn’t medically trained, probably had no personal knowledge of MS, and didn’t actually use the words āmultiple sclerosis.ā Still, they gave me one of the best clues in my quest…
January 2, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Top 10 MS stories of 2023 Throughout 2023, Multiple Sclerosis News Today brought consistent coverage to our readers of the latest scientific research, developments in treatment, and clinical trials for multiple sclerosis (MS). Here is a list of the top 10 most-read stories we published last year, along with a brief description. We look…
November 14, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Less restrictive low-fat diet seen to lessen fatigue in MS: Pilot study Adhering to a low-fat diet for three months was found to significantly ease fatigue among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from a pilot clinical trial. The diet, which restricted total fat intake to less than 20% of calories per day, had a good adherence. Unlike other…
October 27, 2023 Columns by Ed Tobias Drawn back to the Sunshine State, where my MS symptoms feel better I’m back in my happy place. My wife, Laura, and I, along with our Yorkie-poo and our Maine Coon cat, have made it back to our Florida home after 16 hours and about 1,000 miles of driving over two days. There were no traffic jams, we had a comfortable motel…
October 24, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Childhood stressors linked to future symptoms of pain, fatigue in MS Experiencing certain stressors during childhood may predict the future presence and severity of fatigue, pain, and psychiatric conditions associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new U.S. study. Childhood physical and emotional stressors were each significantly linked to a higher likelihood of MS patients experiencing each of the…
October 23, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Protein that helps immune cells infiltrate MS brain ID’d in mice In a surprise discovery, researchers found that deleting a protein called integrin alpha-3 blocked harmful immune cells from accessing the brain ā and prevented the onset of symptoms ā in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, the researchers say that targeting this protein might be one way…
September 26, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MS symptoms can fluctuate with Ocrevus, but ‘wearing off’ not likely People with multiple sclerosis (MS) under treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) commonly experience fluctuations in the severity of their symptoms ā but these changes aren’t related to the timing of Ocrevus infusions, a study reports. Although many patients on Ocrevus report a ‘wearing off’ effect between infusions, findings suggest…
September 26, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD COVID-19 vaccines safe, do not worsen MS symptoms: Study Certain COVID-19 vaccines do not appear to worsen the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and may provide protection for at least six months after a booster dose, according to a study in Spain. The study specifically examined mRNA vaccines, or those that use a piece of RNA to teach…
September 22, 2023 Columns by John Connor A quiet MS week that’s just too darned loud to think Big breath, for my travails below necessitate a catch-up on my story so far. For once, my multiple sclerosis and the myriad joyous comorbidities itās conferred on me āĀ trigeminal neuralgia, lymphedema, diplopia, spasticity ā have given me a break. So have the fellow travelers who’ve…
September 8, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Anti-inflammatory diet, synbiotics ease progressive MS symptoms An anti-inflammatory diet combined with synbiotic supplements eased fatigue, pain, sexual dysfunction, and bladder and bowel problems in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small clinical trial. Synbiotics contain probiotics, healthy bacteria for the gut, and prebiotics, or plant fibers that feed probiotics and help…
August 16, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Engineered probiotic found to ease symptoms in mouse model of MS A lab-engineered probiotic, composed of live bacteria that colonize the gut, was able to ease signs of disease in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. After discovering that a metabolite called lactate could activate immune signaling pathways that help to curb autoimmunity, scientists specifically…
June 5, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Analyses of protein levels in blood can help ID MS patient subgroups Analyses of protein levels in the blood can be used to identify groups of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with distinct clinical features, new research shows. Given the variability of symptoms among people with MS, such groupings could help to improve individualized care for patients, according to Octave, a…
May 22, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Periods of oxygen deprivation improve symptoms of MS in mice A non-invasive treatment called acute intermittent hypoxia, or AIH, involving periods of oxygen deprivation, was found to ease signs and symptoms of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. Given during the peak of disease activity, AIH treatment ā basically, periods of reduced oxygen exposure…
May 4, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Fatigue from MS is hard to both explain and understand Everyone’s multiple sclerosis (MS) is unique to them. The different disease types, lesion loads, and lesion locations are a few reasons why our symptoms are so variable. We with MS all live in the same neighborhood, just in different houses. If there were such a thing as…
March 23, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Itaconate, a common metabolite, shows promise in MS mouse model Itaconate, a metabolite produced during cellular energy production activities, was found to restore the balance of immune T cells and reduce multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms in a mouse model of the disease, a study reported. The common metabolite specifically suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory T cells while promoting the…
December 22, 2022 News by Joana Vindeirinho, PhD 1 in 5 MS Patients May Be Unfit to Drive, But More Research Is Needed About one in five people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be unfit to drive a vehicle due to disease-related difficulties, according to a review of published studies. Cognitive and visual difficulties were most frequently associated with impaired driving ability, both on the road and in a simulation. However, the…
December 12, 2022 News by Joana Vindeirinho, PhD Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Can Ease Some MS Symptoms: Review Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) may be able to reduce fatigue, spasticity, and pain, and improve quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new meta-analysis reports. The review assessed several NIBS interventions targeting different brain regions. The results suggest that these techniques can have immediate effects…
November 23, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Climate Change Risk to MS Patients: Worse Symptoms, More Relapses Temperature variability and increasing exposure to airborne pollutants ā both consequences of climate change ā can worsen disease symptomsĀ and risk relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent review study. Unwanted effects of environmental change were also linked to a number of other neurological conditions,…
October 4, 2022 Columns by Jamie Hughes When the Words Just Arenāt There: The Challenge of Talking About MS Thereās a poignant scene in āForrest Gumpā in which the title character and his best friend, Jenny, walk up to the shack where she was raised (and was raped and abused by her drunken father). She stares at the place for a moment and then begins hurling things…
September 23, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias My Wife Says I Should Follow My Own (MS) Advice I have to be honest: I havenāt always been honest. I donāt always practice what I preach. My wife called me out on that as we watched an interview I did recently about multiple sclerosis on Montel Williams’ podcast. āYou should follow your own advice,ā she told me.
August 26, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Do You Cry and Don’t Know Why? It Might Be PBA I often see posts on social media from people with multiple sclerosis asking if crying for no reason is an MS symptom. It can be. Laughing for no reason can be, too. Both can be severe, persistent, unremitting, and unpredictable. The medical name for this is…
August 25, 2022 Columns by Stephen De Marzo The Difference Between Living and Existing After My PPMS Diagnosis Itās been a year and a half since I was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). I still have use of my limbs and am able to walk, albeit shakily, without a walker. My eyesight has not been affected, I drive, and am able to carry on a…
August 18, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister My MS Makes Getting Sick With a Viral Infection 10 Times Worse School started last week for our three kids. They got to see friends from the last school year, meet their new teachers, and sit at a new desk in their new classrooms. Per tradition, there was no homework assigned the first week, but they still brought home plenty of papers…
August 15, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Early Detection of Pseudobulbar Affect May Help Ease MS Symptom In its inaugural issue, a publication from The Gerontological Society of America provides information about recognizing and managing pseudobulbar affect ā uncontrolled outbursts of crying or laughing that the authors say are one of the most “underrecognized and undertreated” symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions. The…
August 4, 2022 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister How My MS Diagnosis Journey Became My Origin Story If I were a superhero (or a supervillain, for that matter), Iād have an origin story. As it stands, Iām not even a minor hero in real life, and only a mediocre one when appearing in my own stories. Iām just a guy with multiple sclerosis, and all I…
July 18, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: ATA188 in Progressive MS, Early Symptoms, Yoga, Rituximab EMBOLD Study of ATA188 in Progressive MS Is Given Go-ahead Is this another small step toward an MS cure? AT188 is an experimental therapy designed to kill cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). As you probably know, researchers have found a lot of evidence that EBV is connected…
July 8, 2022 Columns by Jamie Hughes Getting in Gear: Essential Equipment for an Excellent Beach Vacation The last few months have been a bit stressful, to say the least, and with the thousand and one worries and distractions I was facing, I couldnāt help but think of the opening lines of a William Wordsworth poem: āThe world is too much with us; late and…
July 8, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Trial Results a Setback for US Approval of Nabiximols for MS Spasticity This news seems disappointing: A Phase 3 clinical trial of nabiximols ā which is available under the brand name Sativex in several countries, including Canada and most of Europe ā has failed to meet its primary goal of reducing leg spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Nabiximols…
July 6, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Income, Education Levels Linked to Fatigue in MS Patients in New Study Lower levels of income and education, as well as other socioeconomic factors, are associated with the presence and severity of fatigue among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study in Norway found. Women, smokers, and those with other co-existing conditions or a higher disability level also were more…
June 30, 2022 Columns by Stephen De Marzo Fatigue Was One of the First ‘Tells’ of My Primary Progressive MS In poker, a tell refers to a change in an opponent’s behavior or demeanor that may offer clues about the cards they’re holding. This could be a facial movement, an unusual breathing rhythm, an unconscious shift in body position, or a strange monetary bet. Recognizing a player’s tells may help…