Phenotypes
Credit: Waglione/Images compiled from video/CC by-SA 3.0

Gray-matter atrophy progresses swiftly in MS patients
Gray-matter atrophy was found in almost all the brain networks of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), yet varies across phenotypes, a multicenter European study has confirmed, with atrophy in certain areas predicting disability and clinical worsening.

Possible cause of MS? How a gene variant can combine with environmental factors to cause MS
The distinct way immune cells respond to viruses like Epstein-Barr in people with the HLA-DR15 gene variant plays a significant role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research into what causes the autoimmune disease.

Gut cells linked to positive immune response in MS
Neuroinflammation appears to trigger gut cells to enhance levels of the antibody IgA and send it to the rescue via human spinal fluid, a new study finds. Researchers believe this insight could lead to advances in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

App helps patients with MS learn their clinical phenotype
About one in five patients with multiple sclerosis don’t know their clinical phenotype – information that may help inform long-term treatment options for their disease, according to research presented at the 2020 virtual annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.

Seasons in the sun: The relationship between vitamin D and MS
About one in every three patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) uses complementary medicine in addition to conventional disease-modifying therapy.

Rim lesions in MS are common, prognostic, and potential treatment targets
Chronic active lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are common, predict more aggressive disease, and occur despite disease-modifying therapy, according to a study of about 200 patients with MS.

Projection neuron vulnerability suggests a therapeutic path
Region- and lineage-specific transcriptomic changes appear to be responsible for the characteristic pathobiology of multiple sclerosis (MS).
A study that used single-nucleus RNA sequencing to assess changes in cell lineages in MS lesions has shed light on the selective cortical neuron damage and glial activation that contribute to the progression of MS lesions.

Clinical trials examine stem cell transplants in relapsing-remitting MS
Stem cell therapy is a broad and multifarious field that, for multiple sclerosis (MS), is still experimental.

Dual studies will track long-term responses to aggressive and first-line MS treatments
A pair of studies aims to determine whether early, aggressive treatment can improve long term outcomes for patients diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Guiding the decision to use disease-modifying therapies
Neurologists and patients with multiple sclerosis are on the horns of a dilemma: How to best employ new disease-modifying drugs that are potent enough to induce life-changing remissions and too new to have amassed long-term safety data.