Latest Conference Coverage

Moderate-to-Severe Post-COVID-19 Sleep Disturbances Common, Especially in Black Individuals

Patients with moderate-severe compared with normal-to-mild sleep disturbances had worse GAD-2 questionnaire scores, PHQ-2 scores, and PROMIS fatigue scores with no difference in age, sex, or hospitalization due to COVID-19.

Understanding Race-Gender Associations in Insomnia Patterns and Late-Life Memory Trajectories: Afsara Zaheed

The graduate student at the University of Michigan provided insight on her study examining longitudinal patterns of difficulty initiating sleep and their associations with subsequent memory trajectories among different races and genders. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

NeuroVoices: Jens Kuhle, MD, on Evobrutinib’s Association With Neurofilament Light Levels

The head of the MS Center at the University of Basel discussed an analysis presented at CMSC’s Annual Meeting, focusing on the effects of BTK inhibitor evobrutinib on neurofilament light levels.

Unanswered Questions About MS Stem Cell Transplantation

PennPALS Automated Text Messaging System Helps Identify Risk of Nonadherence to PAP Therapy

After 30 days of the PennPALS system, 70.8% of the remaining 24 patients were adherent to treatment or were using their PAP machine for at least 4 hours/night on average over the last 7 days.

Understanding Brain Differences in MRI Markers, Sleep-Disordered Breathing of Latino Individuals: Alberto Ramos, MD, MSPH, FAASM

The director of the Sleep Disorders program at the University of Miami discussed his research regarding the association of sleep disordered breathing and total brain volumes in Latino individuals. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Understanding the Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment and Dementia Risk: Galit L. Dunietz, PhD, MPH

The assistant professor of neurology at the University of Michigan provided context on a previous study which suggested that treatment of obstructive sleep apnea may reduce the risk of subsequent dementia. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Response Poorer Among Black Pregnant Women

Among those observed in the trial, Black pregnant women had a mean number of 4.20 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy compared with 5.54 for White pregnant women.

State of Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Sclerosis

Insomnia Severity Index Responders Show Additional Benefits From Lemborexant

In subanalyses of ISI responders with chronic insomnia, those in the lemborexant 10-mg group demonstrated significantly greater changes from baseline in sleep onset latency compared with placebo.

IDSIQ Instrument Sensitive to Daytime Changes Experienced in Insomnia

The IDSIQ showed score changes that correlated with clinically meaningful improvement on various responder definition estimates following triangulation.

Cardiovascular Risk, Total Sleep Time Independently Associated With Cognitive Decline

A combination of less sleep and high cardiovascular disease risk tended to be associated with greater decline in executive function.

Racial, Ethnic Disparities Identified in Sleep Quality, Duration of Sleep During Perinatal Stages

In comparison to White participants, non-Hispanic Black individuals reported shorter sleep duration and more sleep disturbances while the opposite was observed for Hispanic individuals.

Negative Quality of Life, Poor Diagnosis Rates, and Frustrations With Care Reported in Idiopathic Hypersomnia

Overall, 49% of respondents with idiopathic hypersomnia were reportedly dissatisfied with the management of their condition.

Risk Perception, Treatment Self-Efficacy of CPAP in OSA Similar Regardless of Sex

Although the sample size was relatively small, the findings provide insight into predictors of adherence to CPAP, which has been known to limit the effectiveness of the therapy.

CPAP Withdrawal in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Results in Changes to Neurodegenerative Plasma Biomarkers

Between those treated with CPAP and those who withdrew treatment, the difference in N3 sleep represented 15.7% of variance beyond a base model that included age and sex alone.

Real-World Data Highlights Reasons for Transitioning From Sodium Oxybate to Lower Sodium Oxybate

Avoidance of cardiovascular issues and effects, as well as improved effort to gain control of narcolepsy symptoms, were among the reasons for switching to lower sodium oxybate.

Expanding the Use of Spinal Cord Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis: Blake E. Dewey, PhD

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]

No Significant Difference in Patient-Reported Outcomes With Natalizumab When Administered Every 6 Weeks

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.

Episode 65: 2022 CMSC Annual Meeting Highlights

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]

Online Shared-Decision Making Tool, MS-SUPPORT, Shows Potential for Increasing DMT Initiation and Adherence

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.

Patients and Clinicians Perceive Cognitive Deficits Differently in Multiple Sclerosis

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.

Inaugural Class of Giants of Multiple Sclerosis Announced

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

Glatiramer Acetate Depot Shows Safety, Effectiveness in Progressive MS, Interim Results Suggest

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

Women With MS Use Social Media to Augment Knowledge and Support: Riley Bove, MD

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]

EHR-Incorporated MS Smartform Significantly Cuts Down Patient History Review Time in MS

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.

Using a Holistic Approach to Improving Overall Patient Satisfaction in MS: Louise Palmer, MA

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]

High Density of Patients With MS in Midwest Driven by Unknown Environmental Factors

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.

Shifting Focus From Relapses to Neurodegeneration in MS: Michael Levin, MD, FAAN, FANA

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]

BTK Inhibitor Evobrutinib Demonstrates Long-Term Safety in Open-Label Extension

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.