research

Prior infection with the cytomegalovirus (CMV), a type of herpesvirus, was associated with lower odds of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), while herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection showed no significant association with the disease. That’s according to a study involving data from more than 320,000 individuals in Israel that also…

Researchers have identified four key biomarkers in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord that may be used to assess response to MSC-NP, a type of stem cell therapy currently in early clinical testing for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The levels of these four molecules —…

Among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), greater physical disability is associated with higher depression severity, according to a small study from Egypt. The study showed that people with RRMS had substantially higher rates of at least moderate depression than people without multiple sclerosis (MS). More severe depression was also…

Medically indicated cesarean sections (C-sections) before 39 weeks of gestation, or full term pregnancy, may be more frequent among women with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in those without the disease, a study found. However, this difference was not linked to MS itself, with most commonly reported reasons for early…

Changes in the gut microbiome — the community of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract — at the time of a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis may offer early clues about how the disease will progress, a study suggests. Researchers found significant differences in the overall gut…

Increased memory loss over longer periods, known as accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF), is greater in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in healthy adults, a study found. Although people with MS performed similarly to healthy controls on short-term memory tests, they remembered significantly less information seven days later, suggesting…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may be marked by problems with the body’s ability to make new mitochondria — the small structures inside plant and animal cells that serve as tiny power plants for turning food into usable energy. That’s the key finding of a new study in which researchers discovered…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who report difficulty sleeping tend to have reduced flow in what essentially serves as the body’s biological sewer system for removing waste from the brain, a new study suggests. The findings imply that getting a good night’s sleep may meaningfully affect brain biology in…

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) may have less diverse gut bacteria than healthy people, with shifts in genes involved in how well certain bacteria break through the body’s defenses, according to a study. The findings add to growing evidence that changes in the microbiota may be linked to…

Automated analyses of a person’s everyday speech patterns could offer a simple, noninvasive way of tracking brain tissue loss in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study. Researchers found that changes in speech over a period of two years — in particular, a narrower vocabulary range and more frequent…

A trio of European scientists has linked subtle changes in the brain’s white matter — tissue rich in nerve cell projections — to early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a form of the neurodegenerative disease marked by flare-ups interspersed with periods of remission. Using a specialized noninvasive imaging technique, the…

Daily step patterns — captured via wearable devices such as smartwatches — may offer a more complete picture of disability in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) than measurements taken during occasional clinic visits, a study found. Using more than two years of step count data from…

Social and economic factors, including unemployment, being unmarried, or living in disadvantaged neighborhoods, are linked to poorer cognitive skills in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), especially among non-white people, according to a U.S. study. The findings add to earlier evidence that patients with a lower socioeconomic status, tend…

A drug used to prevent stroke complications may help preserve myelin, the protective coating around nerve fibers that is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of data from animal studies. The treatment, nimodipine, was also associated with reduced inflammation, nerve damage, and disease severity in several…

Concussions during adolescence may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), but only if the concussion occurs before the individual has infectious mononucleosis, a condition caused by infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), according to a new study. The findings suggest that a concussion occurring before a person…

Smoking cigarettes may speed up disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), while alcohol consumption showed no clear harmful effect, according to a long-term study involving more than 1,300 adults in Germany. Researchers found that smokers, particularly light smokers, were significantly more likely to experience worsening disability and…

A specific type of gut bacteria known as Veillonella ratti — a bacterium shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects — reduced the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease, according to a new study. The research suggests that V. ratti changes the activity of other gut…

Damage to the brain’s gray matter — the part of brain tissue that houses the bodies of nerve cells — is associated with a higher risk of long-term disability worsening, cognitive impairment, and death in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study that followed dozens of patients…

Therapies to remove harmful immune B-cells that drive inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) may also work by mobilizing protective, gut-derived B-cells into the bloodstream and nervous system, a new study shows. Researchers also found that higher levels of molecules thought to drive such protective functions in B-cells were linked…

Australian researchers are using lab-grown “mini brains” to investigate new ways to repair myelin, the protective coating surrounding nerve cells that is lost in multiple sclerosis (MS). The 3D lab models, grown from human stem cells, will allow researchers to study how myelin forms naturally in the human…

Lower levels of a rare gut bacterium called Akkermansia massiliensis may increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) by reducing the activity of an immune-regulating gene called FcRL3, offering researchers potential new therapeutic targets, according to a genetic study. “The FcRL3 protein plays a key role in linking specific…

In people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an overactive immune response to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) — most famous as the cause of the so-called kissing disease mono — may be a driver of the neurological condition, a new study suggests. Researchers found that a specific type of immune…

Researchers at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) received a $470,000 grant to investigate how a ketogenic diet — one that is high in fats and low in carbohydrates — may help protect vision in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The project,…

A genetic mutation associated with more severe disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) may also correlate with poorer cognitive performance in healthy people, a study reported. People with MS, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia who carried the rs10191329A mutation showed similar trends of poorer cognition, though these didn’t reach statistical…

Common anti-fever medications such as aspirin and acetaminophen may help ease fatigue, improve temperature regulation, and increase exercise capacity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies. Aspirin may be particularly effective at reducing overheating during exercise, while acetaminophen may offer greater…

Two new research projects are looking at whether the hormonal and biological changes that happen around menopause play a role in how multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses in women, which could help doctors better predict the course of the disease and time treatments more effectively. “By better understanding the biological…

Among people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) — an initial episode of symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) — lower levels of certain fatty molecules in the blood are associated with higher rates of future disease relapses, a new study found. Adding these metabolic features to established demographic…

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is expanding its patient-centered research network to include more than 1,000 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving care at 20 sites across the U.S. Known as the Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network (MSIN), the initiative brings together healthcare providers, researchers, people…

Abnormal fat buildup inside the brain’s immune cells may help to drive neurological damage and disability progression in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. The findings also point to a possible therapeutic target. Researchers showed that blocking an enzyme called MAGL may help reverse…

In a column I wrote a couple years ago, I noted that, despite my fascination with the subject of psychology, I have only an amateur understanding of it. We can add artificial intelligence (AI) to the long list of things I’m not an expert on. I know what it is…