MS and Demyelinating Disorders

The postdoctoral researcher at the Johns Hopkins Multiple Sclerosis Center shared his perspective on the use of spinal cord atrophy in clinical practice to measure disease progression in MS and how it might become more accessible. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

After a previous analysis showed that natalizumab dosing every 6 weeks can decrease the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, new data showed no differences in patient-reported outcomes vs treatment every 4 weeks.

Mind Moments®, a podcast from NeurologyLive®, brings you exclusive interviews with Riley Bove, MD; Blake E. Dewey, PhD; Bruce Cree, MD, PhD, MAS; John DeLuca, PhD; Shuvro Roy, MD; and Tanuja Chitnis, MD. [LISTEN TIME: 26 minutes]

The online tool was evaluated in a cohort of 501 patients and healthcare providers, showing positive trends in 9 of 11 outcomes assessed. Notably, disease-modifying therapy start, adherence, and long-term mental health were all improved in the intervention group.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on NeurologyLive®'s highlights from the week ending June 3, 2022.

Clinician-perceived cognitive deficits of patients with multiple sclerosis were significantly predicted by multiple factors, including cognitive scores, depression, and physical disability, but notably not fatigue.

Drs Barry A. Hendin and Regina Berkovich comment on the management and treatment of chronic smoldering inflammation with high efficacy therapies.

The 1st annual awards ceremony was held during the CMSC Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland.

Regina Berkovich, MD, PhD, and Barry A. Hendin, MD, review clinical implications of real-world data on the use of cladribine and other DMTs in patients with relapsing MS that were presented at ACTRIMS 2022.

Individuals with progressive MS demonstrated stable scores on Expanded Disability Status Scale, with no 12-week confirmed disability progression detected.

The associate professor of neurology at UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences discussed the findings of a social media listening study that suggested women with multiple sclerosis used social media platforms to discuss treatment during and around pregnancy. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

The form, which is freely available through the Epic and Cerner EHR platforms, was developed to streamline and standardize patient data collection to allow clinicians more time with patients and more consistent information.

The health research assistant at the Shepherd Center discussed the need to improve access to interventions that improve the overall happiness of individuals with multiple sclerosis. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

A large number of patients with MS were clustered in an area that may have had high exposure levels of aluminum, which the study investigators noted warrants future research.

Annette Okai, MD, FAAN, discusses how she is utilizing the newer oral therapies and treatment advances in her practice.

Two MS experts discuss how the field is benefiting from availability of real-world data, given the absence of head-to-head trials.

The professor of neurology at the University of Saskatchewan discussed the need to improve therapeutics aimed at improving neurodegeneration in patients with multiple sclerosis. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

At the end of the open-label extension period, 77.5% of patients reported treatment-emergent adverse events and 27.7% had a treatment-related TEAE.

Investigators utilized a social media listening tool to evaluate and scale mentions of disease-modifying therapy use by women with multiple sclerosis, with the majority of concerns focused on safety and treatment reinitiation in the postpartum period.

Although there were no differences between herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, patients with MS did show increased levels of EBV capsid antigen and EBNA compared with controls.

Both ozanimod doses were associated with greater median reductions in plasma neurofilament light and mean improvements in SDMT score change than interferon beta-1a at month 12 of treatment.

The professor of neurology at the University of Saskatchewan discussed his presentation at the 2022 CMSC Annual Meeting on using ribonucleoprotein A1 antibodies to drive neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

Stephen Krieger, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine and Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS at Mount Sinai, shared his perspectives on the trends in multiple sclerosis and the need to holistically treat patients to maximize brain reserve.

Emily Harrington, MD, PhD, physician-scientist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, provided thoughts on the importance of World MS Day and the issues that plague the MS community.

The professor of neurology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital shared his perspective on the trends in thinking about the treatment of MS and how an improved understanding of underlying processes has led to a shift in the field. [WATCH TIME: 5 minutes]