Multiple sclerosis

Diagnosing one of the most common neurological conditions in the UK will become faster, following the publication of new international guidelines. The revised criteria aim to make diagnosis faster and more accurate, reduce the risk of misdiagnosis, and help many people with MS to access treatment earlier. Over 150,000 people live with multiple sclerosis (MS) [...]

A distinct MS subtype has been identified in patients with significant cognitive impairment but little physical disability, often leaving it undetected and untreated. The subtype affects functions such as information processing, memory and attention, while showing few of the movement difficulties usually linked with multiple sclerosis. Professor Adam Hampshire is professor of cognitive and computational [...]

A ketogenic diet may reduce fatigue, improve neurological function and enhance daily life for people with multiple sclerosis, new analysis suggests. The diet, which involves eating very little carbohydrate and replacing it with fat, was linked to benefits in six studies involving people with MS. Researchers stressed the evidence is limited but said the findings [...]

Researchers are studying how genetics and the Epstein-Barr virus might interact to predict multiple sclerosis (MS) risk before symptoms appear. The study will investigate why some people exposed to Epstein-Barr – a virus that affects up to 90 per cent of the population – develop MS, while others do not, using genetic profiles to identify [...]

Experts are urging tailored strategies to improve diagnosis, treatment and monitoring for older people with multiple sclerosis as care gaps continue. As more people with MS live longer, age-related biological changes increasingly complicate how the condition is diagnosed and managed – yet no universal framework currently addresses these challenges. More than half of people with [...]

Neural stem cell grafts have been shown to regenerate myelin – the protective coating around nerve fibres – in mice with multiple sclerosis (MS)-like brain lesions. Researchers used induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) to test whether these could repair myelin damage in the central nervous system, a key feature of progressive MS. MS is an [...]

Patients in the UK will now have access to a take-home Multiple Sclerosis (MS) tablet - Cladribine - which was previously only prescribed for people with relapsing remitting MS. The disease modifying therapy (DMT) tablet has now been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The new recommendation suggests that now, [...]

Now, new research shows that the combination of certain viral antibodies and genetic risk factors can be linked to a greatly increased risk of MS.  In multiple sclerosis (MS), antibodies to the common Epstein-Barr virus can accidentally attack a protein in the brain and spinal cord. An estimated 90 to 95 per cent of adults [...]

For the first time, researchers have identified that inflammation - long associated with MS - appears to cause increased mutations linked to MS progression. They studied MS brain lesions, visible as spots on MRI scans, which are areas of past or ongoing brain inflammation. Florey Institute associate professor Justin Rubio, head of The Florey’s neurogenetics [...]

Findings from new research could help neurologists in the future prescribe personalised treatment to people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), after scientists studied more than half a million brain cells. Currently, MS treatments target immune cells in the blood, stopping them from reaching the brain and causing damage. These are very effective in the early [...]