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Researchers have found that oral cholecalciferol in doses of 100,000 IU every two weeks significantly reduced disease activity in clinically isolated syndrome and early relapsing‑remitting multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis typically starts with an acute episode involving the central nervous system, such as inflammation of the optic nerve, the spinal cord, or brainstem syndromes. This combination of initial signs is termed a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), although CIS does not always convert to MS. In the D‑Lay MS randomized clinical trial, investigators conducted a parallel, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled study comparing high‑dose cholecalciferol versus placebo in untreated CIS. Eligibility criteria included adults aged...

Scientists have suspected gut bacteria may influence a person's risk of developing multiple sclerosis. In our research, we found that the ratio of two bacteria in the gut can predict multiple sclerosis severity in patients. Specifically, we showed that a group of bacteria called Blautia was more common in multiple sclerosis patients, while Prevotella, a bacterial species consistently linked to a healthy gut, was found in lower amounts. In a separate experiment, we observed the balance between two gut bacteria, Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia, was critical in distinguishing mice with or without multiple sclerosis-like disease. Mice with multiple sclerosis-like symptoms had...

Actress Teri Garr has died at age 79, Variety reported on Tuesday. Garr passed away in Los Angeles after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. The late star was best known for her roles in the films “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” the latter of which earned her an Oscar nomination. Garr was born on December 11, 1944 in Lakewood, Ohio. She moved to Los Angeles and then later to New York to pursue acting. She started out as a go-go dancer and made appearances in six Elvis Presley musicals in the 1960s. Her first on-screen speaking role was in 1968’s...

A study has identified critical biomarkers that can predict disability worsening in multiple sclerosis (MS). The breakthrough research has the potential to transform treatment. Dr. Enric Monreal found elevated serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels—a protein indicating nerve cell damage—at the onset of MS can predict both relapse-associated worsening (RAW) and progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA). Additionally, serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) levels—a protein derived from astrocytes that enters the bloodstream when the central nervous system (CNS) is injured or inflamed—correlate with PIRA in patients with low levels of sNfL. Using the Single Molecule Array (SIMOA) technique, researchers...

Leptin levels, immune cell profiles improved in small studyIntermittent fasting -- defined as restricting food and drink to 500 calories a day, twice a week -- was safe and successful in a small randomized trial of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). The study met its primary outcome of reduced serum leptin levels after 12 weeks compared with controls, according to Laura Piccio, MD, PhD, of the University of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia, and co-authors. Leptin, a proinflammatory adipokine that may have a pathogenic role in MS, was lower in the intermittent fasting group (P=0.03) after adjusting for...

A pilot study conducted by researchers has shown promising results in the use of methylphenidate to enhance oculomotor function in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings could have significant implications for the treatment of visual and cognitive impairments associated with MS. The pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial involved 11 participants with MS who were randomly assigned to receive either methylphenidate or a placebo for four weeks plus crossover treatment for four more weeks after a seven-day washout period. Assessments of oculomotor speed, using the King-Devick test, and information processing speed, were conducted before and after each treatment phase. "We observed...

National MS Society makes a 90-year-old volunteer step down because she wasn’t “inclusive” enough. Her crime was asking what pronouns are after she was required to start using them. Fran was a volunteer for 60 years and her late husband had MS.

Researchers are piecing together how a previous infection with the Epstein-Barr virus can catapult the development of MS. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The human body has myriad defenses to protect itself from disease and infection, but sometimes those biological bulwarks can become a threat themselves when they attack healthy cells and tissues, often by mistake. This autoimmune mixup can create debilitating chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS), which affects nearly two million people worldwide. In MS, the immune system attacks a protective tissue called myelin, insulating the central nervous system. The resulting damage to nerves prevents the back-and-forth of messages across the body...

More than 1,600 ancient genomes have helped to trace the roots of a host of genetic traits found in modern Europeans. The genomes suggest that many characteristics — including a heightened risk for multiple sclerosis — were carried to Europe by people who migrated to the continent in three distinct waves starting around 45,000 years ago. The findings provide evidence that some of the regional variation in certain traits was caused by differences in migrants’ dispersal patterns. That contradicts the idea that genetic differences arose mainly as people adapted to conditions in specific locations in Europe. ... Europe was settled...

A common microbe found in sewage, marine sediment, soil, and the GI tracts of pets and farm animals may play a defining role in multiple sclerosis, according to a new study. The findings, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest that a toxin produced by certain C. perfringens bacteria may be the long sought-after trigger that degrades the blood-brain barrier and kicks off the relentless inflammation and brain cell degradation characteristic of MS. “If this is the environmental trigger for MS, we can now start talking about a vaccine, monoclonal antibodies, or some other therapy,” says Rashid Rumah, co-author...

UCI researchers have found that a simple sugar, N-acetylglucosamine, reduces multiple inflammation and neurodegeneration markers in people who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS). In addition, they also found this dietary supplement improved neurological function in 30% of patients. A major issue with current therapies in MS is the inability to treat chronic-active neuroinflammation in the brain and the associated failure to repair the loss of myelin that covers and protects axons, the electrical wires of the brain. Over time, this leads to permanent nerve cell damage and slow progressive loss of neurological function in patients. "Our previous studies in mice...

Patients report that a ketogenic diet (KD) improves multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, according to a study. Emma Wetmore and colleagues evaluated patient perceptions of the KD. The analysis included three-month follow-up from 52 participants with relapsing MS previously enrolled in a prospective six-month KD trial. The researchers found that 21 percent of participants reported continued adherence to a strict KD, while 37 percent reported adhering to a liberalized, less restrictive form of the KD. At the end of the trial, participants with greater reductions in body mass index and fatigue while on the diet were more likely to continue on...

Can this Medication Reverse MS? Brain Biomarker Shows It Can UCSF-led research identifies hallmark of disease repair for use in future therapies A decade after UC San Francisco scientists identified an over-the-counter antihistamine as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, researchers have developed an approach to measure the drug’s effectiveness in repairing the brain, making it possible to also assess future therapies for the devastating disorder. The researchers, led by physician-scientist Ari Green, MD, who together with neuroscientist Jonah Chan, PhD, first identified clemastine as a potential MS therapy, used MRI scans to study the drug’s impact on the brains of...

A decade after scientists identified an over-the-counter antihistamine as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, researchers have developed an approach to measure the drug's effectiveness in repairing the brain. The researchers, led by Ari Green, used MRI scans to study the drug's impact on the brain of 50 participants in a clinical study. In MS, patients lose myelin, the protective insulation around nerve fibers. This myelin loss triggers delays in nerve signals, leading to weakness and spasticity, and other symptoms. In the brain, water trapped between the thin layers of myelin that wrap nerve fibers cannot move as freely as water...

A new study found a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with an increased risk of relapse in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The researchers found a more pro-inflammatory diet is associated with a higher risk of relapses and more inflammatory brain lesions for MS patients in the years following their first disease attack. MS is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation that can damage nerve cells. A pro-inflammatory diet as per the study includes foods containing high amounts of fats and proteins. These foods are thought to drive chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation that could affect the course of MS. The...

A drug called teriflunomide may delay first symptoms for people whose magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans show signs of multiple sclerosis (MS) even though they do not yet have symptoms of the disease. Called radiologically isolated syndrome, the condition is diagnosed in people who do not have MS symptoms but who have abnormalities in the brain or spinal cord called lesions, similar to those seen in MS. MS is a disease in which the body's immune system attacks myelin, the fatty white substance that insulates and protects the nerves. Symptoms of MS may include fatigue, numbness, tingling or difficulty walking....

Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) have identified why certain cells in the body, known as Th17 cells, go rogue and promote the onset of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In a new study published in Nature Communications, scientists have discovered a previously unknown and nasty side effect of a bacteria-fighting weapon in the immune system’s arsenal called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs are responsible for directly enhancing the production of harmful Th17 cells. “This discovery is significant as it provides a novel therapeutic target to disrupt these harmful inflammatory responses,” lead author Dr. Alicia Wilson, from...

If you were to ask any of the 1 million Americans living with multiple sclerosis, they’d probably say their disease started with changes so small they almost didn’t notice them: a wobbly step, a weakening grip, sight going soft around the edges. But MRI scans of their brains — dotted with ghostly white scars — would tell a different story. Those scars are signs of inflammation dating back multiple years. Each spot represents a dead zone filled with mangled remains of thousands, sometimes millions, of neurons. Like city blocks going dark during a power outage, these cells blinked out one...

A research team has found high levels of three toxic metabolites produced by gut bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma samples of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The findings further scientists' understanding of how gut bacteria can impact the course of neurological diseases by producing compounds that are toxic to nerve cells. Previously published evidence has supported the concept that an imbalance in the gut microbiota—the community of organisms that live in the human intestines—may underly a range of neurological disorders. "Our findings suggest that MS patients' gut bacteria produce and release large amounts [of] p-cresol-sulfate, indoxyl-sulfate and N-phenylacetylglutamine into...

For most of us, the immune system works to protect us from bacteria, viruses, and other harmful pathogens. But for people with autoimmune conditions, the body's white blood cells instead perceive other cells and tissues in the body to be a threat and attacks them. While some immune disorders, like allergies, can sometimes be treated, autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) remain incurable. Our research has shown that you can stop the immune system attacking the nerves – which is what happens in MS. We did this by giving the immune system ever-increasing doses of the same molecule that...