research

A 12-week clinical study is recruiting people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to evaluate if intermittent fasting can improve their immune response, metabolism, and gut microbiome — the bacterial community that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract. Its findings may also hint at whether such a diet might ease MS symptoms or alter discourse course and, if used in conjunction with other treatments, boost their efficacy. Conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, the trial is supported by their findings in an earlier mouse study.  Results showed that fasting worked to ease MS-like symptoms in a mouse model of the disease, the research team reported. Specifically, EAE mice fed every other day were less prone to symptoms that included difficulty in walking, limb weakness, and paralysis than mice allowed to eat freely.  A fasting diet also enriched bacterial diversity in the mice guts, and shifted immune cell populations there toward a lower inflammatory response. When gut bacteria were transferred from fasting mice to nonfasting mice, the later also were seen to be better protected against MS-like movement problems, supporting the influence of the gut microbiome on MS symptoms. Several diets have been proposed to help ease disease progression in MS patients, but solid scientific evidence is lacking to support any one diet over another, leaving the issue much to an individual’s choice. “The fact is that diet may indeed help with MS symptoms, but the studies haven’t been done,” Laura Piccio, MD, an associate professor of neurology at WUSTL and the study's lead author, said in a WUSTL news release written by Tamara Bhandari. Taking place at the Missouri university, the trial is expected to enroll 60 RRMS patients. Half will be randomly assigned to eat a standard Western-style diet seven days a week, and the other half to Western-style diet five days a week, with two days set aside for fasting (consuming a maximum of 500 calories each day). On fasting days, patients can only drink water or calorie-free beverages and eat fresh, steamed or roasted non-starchy vegetables All will undergo a neurological assessment, and provide blood and stool samples in the study's beginning, at mid-point or week six, and at its end (week 12). Those using MS medications will continue on their prescribed treatment regimens throughout the study. More information, including enrollment information, is available here. Piccio noted that a pilot study on diet in 16 MS patients showed that limiting calories every other day for two weeks led to immune and gut microbiome changes that resembled those observed in the mice study she helped to lead. Its researchers concluded that intermittent fasting had the potential to positively manipulate the immune response in MS patients by changing their gut microbiome. The gut microbiome plays a central role in digestion, and in producing vitamins and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins). But a growing body of evidence indicates that it also determines how our immune systems develops and matures. Indeed, an increasing number of studies link irregularities in the gut microbiome with MS. “There are several possible ways fasting can affect inflammation and the immune response,” Piccio said. “One is by changing hormone levels. We found that levels of the anti-inflammatory hormone corticosterone were nearly twice as high in the fasting mice. But it also could act through the gut microbiome.” The new trial will allow the team to analyze more deeply the effects of a fasting diet — and perhaps gather evidence for a larger study investigating if skipping meals can ease MS symptoms. Its goal is to find out "whether people on limited fasts undergo changes to their metabolism, immune response and microbiome similar to what we see in the mouse,” Piccio said. “I don’t think any physician working with this disease thinks you can cure MS with diet alone,” she added, “but we may be able to use it as an add-on to current treatments to help people feel better.”

New research shows that overreactive and tissue-damaging T-cells can transition into regulatory T-cells that help to control the immune system’s response. These findings open the door to further understanding of the mechanism underlying this transition, knowledge that can help scientists in designing more effective, targeted immunotherapies for diseases like multiple…

Lately, much of my work has been focused on the relationship between the gut and MS. As I experience ongoing gut issues, I need to learn how to advocate for myself by learning as much as I can about gut bacteria and finding the right…

Cognitive impairment is common among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be assessed through touchscreen cognitive tests in clinical care, a British study reports. The study “Investigating Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Using Touchscreen Cognitive Testing in Routine Clinical Care” was published in the…

Brain volume loss takes place at a faster rate in the first five years of multiple sclerosis than later in disease course, researchers report in a study that calls for scientists to “reconsider” — for this and related reasons — proposals to use volume loss as a measure of treatment efficacy…

Let’s say there’s an MS study reporting that researchers have discovered a substance that seems to prevent nerve cell damage. But they’ve only studied this on mice. Or, there’s another study that claims that something can help reduce MS pain, but the study involves only 19 patients. Or, an…

Getting plenty of sun, eating fresh fruits regularly and drinking coffee daily are associated with a lower risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) among adults in Saudi Arabia — while eating a lot of fast-food raises that risk, researchers report. Their study, “Environmental exposures and the risk of…

Atrophy seen in areas of the spinal cord is a better predictor of physical disability in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients than loss of brain volume, a new study reports. The research was presented at the 4th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), recently held in Lisbon,…

Exposure to organic solvents like such as paint or varnish greatly raises the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly in people who smoke or have a genetic susceptibility to the disease, a large-scale Swedish study reports. In fact, solvent exposure — linked to occupation, like being a painter or working…

An investigational cannabidiol-derived compound called EHP-101 may help to boost remyelination, prevent nerve cell damage and lower the reactivity of microglia cells — immune cells of the brain and spinal cord — a  study in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS) reports. EHP-101, being developed by Emerald Health…

Grey matter atrophy — its loss —  follows a sequential pattern that expands to involve more regions of the brain over time in all multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, regardless of their disease type, a new study reports. Atrophy progression is also similar between relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS)…

Statistics show that men are three times less likely than women to develop multiple sclerosis. Research has shown that men also develop MS at a later age than women and that their disease is more progressive. Could this all be related to “low T,” or low testosterone? Researchers…

Protecting the public against an outbreak like the swine flu using GlaxoSmithKline‘s vaccine Arepanrix — or a similar vaccine with an AS03 adjuvant delivery system — does not increase a risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), a population study conducted in Canada reports. The study, “Registry Cohort Study to Determine Risk…

Greater exposure to sunlight during the winter months — part of a person’s lifetime exposure to ultraviolet radiation — can help to lower the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), a large U.S. cohort study suggests. The study, “Lifetime exposure to ultraviolet radiation and the risk of multiple sclerosis in…

Long-term exposure to three common air pollutants — fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone — were not found to be “convincingly” linked to incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a large population study conducted in Canada. The study, “Long-term exposure to air pollution and the incidence of multiple sclerosis: A…

Treating mice in a model of multiple sclerosis (MS) with laquinimod before the onset of symptoms eased inflammation so as to help preserve their vision — lessening damage to the optic nerve and retina, a study from Germany reports. The study, “Laquinimod protects the optic nerve and…

A radioactive probe that might enable imaging tools to effectively monitor what a gene therapy is doing in the brain — important in treating diseases like multiple sclerosis with such a therapy — has been developed at Stanford University. The probe is a kind of radiotracer used successfully in this study…

A new fluorescent imaging strategy allows researchers to track T-cells and further understand their dynamics in vivo, giving them insight into what happens when these immune cells attack myelin in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). The new technology was reported in the study, “A timer for…

A first patient has been enrolled in a single-site trial to evaluate the potential of electrical stimulation, called  Electroceutical Therapy, in reducing brain injury, Endonovo Therapeutics, the therapy’s developer, announced. Electroceutical Therapy is a non-invasive and wearable electronic device that uses pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) to stimulate the central nervous system.

Researchers Discover How Key Genetic Risk Factor for MS Operates A genetic link to MS is something that some scientists have suspected for years. Now, there’s new research that targets a variation of a specific gene as possibly being that link. Scientists have uncovered the molecular mechanism…

Scientists have uncovered the molecular mechanism by which the genetic variant HLA-DRB1*15:01 is the strongest risk factor for multiple sclerosis, new research shows. Analyzing several studies, researchers found that the risk linked…

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used to assess inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients should include scans of the spinal cord and not be restricted to the brain, because brain scans alone risk underestimating disease progression, a study suggests. These results were shared in the presentation, “Measuring disease activity in…

Measuring the response of the pupil to light stimulating the eye is a non-invasive and easy way to assess multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and progression, researchers report. A clinical study found that poor, or dysfunctional, pupil response was associated with longer disease duration and greater disease severity in relapsing-remitting multiple…

Levels of neurofilament light chain are a reliable predictor of disease worsening and progression in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients, a new study shows. Moreover, treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod), marketed by Novartis, can reduce the levels of NfL for up to 10 years. These findings were shared recently in the presentation “…

Analysis of post-mortem brain samples from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy individuals (without neurologic disease) showed that while signs of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection are present in both groups of brains, EBV-positive immune cells were more prevalent and densely populated in the MS brain. The study reporting those findings,…

A new clinical trial will be the first in the world to recognize the importance of retaining hand function for wheelchair-bound patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS), according to a press release from Queen Mary University of London. The international trial, which will be conducted by a…

Researchers have unveiled a new cell death mechanism called pyroptosis — also known as “fiery death” — as a main factor driving neurodegeneration and loss of myelin in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). An inhibitor of pyroptosis, currently undergoing testing in human clinical trials for epilepsy, decreased central nervous system inflammation…

Young adults at age 20 who are obese and smoke are not only at a higher risk of developing relapsing multiple sclerosis — those who become MS patients after age 20 are also more likely to advance to secondary progressive MS more quickly, researchers in Sweden report. But the link…

Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) are equally effective as first-line treatments in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), but Gilenya may be of slightly more benefit to those who switch from a previous injectable therapy, according to a real-world study of patients in Italy. The study, “…

For ambulatory multiple sclerosis patients with mobility problems, perceptions of being at risk of falling are as important as the risk due to their physical condition — and both should be tested when evaluating fall risk in this patient population, a study reports. The study, “The relationship between physiological…