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J Neurol 2022 Jun 27. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease with huge heterogeneity in terms of clinical course, disease severity and treatment response. The need for a tailored treatment approach has emerged over the last few years. The present observational study aims to assess fingolimod (FTY) effectiveness in RRMS patients, stratifying them according to the disease-modifying treatments used before FTY, to identify subjects who could benefit more from this treatment. Read More

J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2022 Jun 25:271678X221107953. Epub 2022 Jun 25.

Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Neuronal damage is the primary cause of long-term disability of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Assessment of axonal integrity from diffusion MRI parameters might enable better disease characterisation. 16 diffusion derived measurements from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), and fixel-based analysis (FBA) in lesions, peri-lesion and normal appearing white matter were investigated. Read More

Neuroimage 2022 Jun 23:119410. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address:

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is an MRI post-processing technique that produces spatially resolved magnetic susceptibility maps from phase data. However, the traditional QSM reconstruction pipeline involves multiple non-trivial steps, including phase unwrapping, background field removal, and dipole inversion. These intermediate steps not only increase the reconstruction time but accumulates errors. Read More

Neuroimage Clin 2022 Jun 17;35:103090. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Background: Patients suffering from functional neurological disorder (FND) experience disabling neurological symptoms not caused by an underlying classical neurological disease (such as stroke or multiple sclerosis). The diagnosis is made based on reliable positive clinical signs, but clinicians often require additional time- and cost consuming medical tests and examinations. Resting-state functional connectivity (RS FC) showed its potential as an imaging-based adjunctive biomarker to help distinguish patients from healthy controls and could represent a "rule-in" procedure to assist in the diagnostic process. Read More

J Neurol 2022 Jun 25. Epub 2022 Jun 25.

Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, University of Milan, 20122, Milan, Italy.

Mult Scler Relat Disord 2022 Apr 30;65:103838. Epub 2022 Apr 30.

Neurology Department, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050000, China.

Background: In this study, we conducted a prospective 2-year cohort of patients with RRMS and healthy controls (HCs) to investigate the rate and clinical/imaging predictors of cognitive decline in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Methods: A total of 107 patients with clinically definite RRMS and 74 HCs were recruited at Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei. Patients were assessed with the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS) at baseline and 2-year follow-up visits and were classified into cognitively-declining and cognitively-stable RRMS. Read More

Mult Scler 2022 Jun 24:13524585221102921. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Translational Neuroradiology Section, Division of Neuroimmunology and Neurovirology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Background: Paramagnetic rims have been observed as a feature of some multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions on susceptibility-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and indicate compartmentalized inflammation.

Objective: To investigate clinical, MRI, and intrathecal (cerebrospinal fluid, CSF) associations of paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) using 3T MRI in MS.

Methods: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis. Read More

Diagnostics (Basel) 2022 Jun 1;12(6). Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Department of Radiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, 120 00 Prague, Czech Republic.

Oxidative stress has been implied in cellular injury even in the early phases of multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we quantified levels of biomarkers of oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in newly diagnosed MS patients and their associations with brain atrophy and iron deposits in the brain tissue. Consecutive treatment-naive adult MS patients ( = 103) underwent brain MRI and CSF sampling. Read More

Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm 2022 Sep 23;9(5). Epub 2022 Jun 23.

From the Department of Clinical Medicine (I.A.L., K.-M.M., L.B., Ø.T.), University of Bergen; Neuro-SysMed, Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital (I.A.L., K.W., S.S.K., S.W., K.-M.M., Ø.T.), Bergen; St. Olav's University Hospital (K.W.), Trondheim; Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine (S.S.K.), Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (I.B., F.B., H.V.), MS Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc, The Netherlands; Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Registry and Biobank (S.W.), Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen; Institute of Clinical Medicine (T.H., H.F.H.), University of Oslo; Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital (T.H.), Lørenskog; Department of Neurology (R.M.), Molde Hospital; Department of Neurology (A.B.), Stavanger University Hospital; Department of Neurology (A.E.), Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Drammen; Department of Research and Education (R.E.), Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand; Faculty of Health and Sport Science (R.E.), University of Agder, Grimstad; Department of Neurology (S.G.), Østfold Hospital Kalnes, Grålum; Department of Neurology (H.F.H.), Oslo University Hospital; Department of Neurology (G.K.), Innlandet Hospital Lillehammer; Department of Neurology (Y.S.S.), Haugesund Hospital; Department of Neurology (N.Ø.), Nordland Hospital Trust, Bodø, Norway; Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering (F.B.), University College London, Great Britain; and Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Competence Centre (L.B.), Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

Background And Objectives: The relationship between smoking, long-term brain atrophy, and clinical disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is unclear. Here, we assessed long-term effects of smoking by evaluating MRI and clinical outcome measures after 10 years in smoking and nonsmoking patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Methods: We included 85 treatment-naive patients with RRMS with recent inflammatory disease activity who participated in a 10-year follow-up visit after a multicenter clinical trial of 24 months. Read More

Eur J Neurol 2022 Jun 23. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

AIMS lab, Center for Neurosciences, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.

Background: Data from neuro-imaging techniques allow us to estimate a brain's age. Brain age is easily interpretable as "how old the brain looks", and could therefore be an attractive communication tool for brain health in clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate its clinical utility by investigating the relationship between brain age and cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis (MS). Read More

Neurol Int 2022 Jun 8;14(2):506-535. Epub 2022 Jun 8.

Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, 37100 Verona, Italy.

Fatigue is one of the most disabling symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS); it influences patients' quality of life. The etiology of fatigue is complex, and its pathogenesis is still unclear and debated. The objective of this review was to describe potential brain structural and functional dysfunctions underlying fatigue symptoms in patients with MS. Read More

Geriatrics (Basel) 2022 Jun 5;7(3). Epub 2022 Jun 5.

Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.

Several important questions regarding cognitive aging and dementia in older people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are the focus of this narrative review: Do older PwMS have worse cognitive decline compared to older people without MS? Can older PwMS develop dementia or other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) that may be accelerated due to MS? Are there any potential biomarkers that can help to determine the etiology of cognitive decline in older PwMS? What are the neural and cellular bases of cognitive aging and neurodegeneration in MS? Current evidence suggests that cognitive impairment in MS is distinguishable from that due to other neurodegenerative diseases, although older PwMS may present with accelerated cognitive decline. While dementia is prevalent in PwMS, there is currently no consensus on defining it. Cerebrospinal fluid and imaging biomarkers have the potential to identify disease processes linked to MS and other comorbidities-such as AD and vascular disease-in older PwMS, although more research is required. Read More

Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin 2022 Apr-Jun;8(2):20552173221104918. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Background: The effects of pregnancy on multiple sclerosis (MS) inflammatory activity are not well described in women with moderate to severe disabilities.

Objective: To quantify the peripartum annualized relapse rate (ARR) in women with MS with an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) ≥ 3.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 85 pregnancies in 74 subjects with preconception EDSS ≥ 3. Read More

Netw Neurosci 2022 Jun 1;6(2):339-356. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, MS Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) features extensive connectivity changes, but how structural and functional connectivity relate, and whether this relation could be a useful biomarker for cognitive impairment in MS is unclear. This study included 79 MS patients and 40 healthy controls (HCs). Patients were classified as cognitively impaired (CI) or cognitively preserved (CP). Read More

Netw Neurosci 2022 Jun 1;6(2):320-338. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological conditions, traditionally defined as a disorder of recurrent seizures. Cognitive and affective dysfunction are increasingly recognized as core disease dimensions and can affect patient well-being, sometimes more than the seizures themselves. Connectome-based approaches hold immense promise for revealing mechanisms that contribute to dysfunction and to identify biomarkers. Read More

ISME J 2022 Jun 21. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital, Girona, Spain.

Growing evidence implicates the gut microbiome in cognition. Blastocystis is a common gut single-cell eukaryote parasite frequently detected in humans but its potential involvement in human pathophysiology has been poorly characterized. Here we describe how the presence of Blastocystis in the gut microbiome was associated with deficits in executive function and altered gut bacterial composition in a discovery (n = 114) and replication cohorts (n = 942). Read More

Mult Scler Relat Disord 2022 Jun 15;64:103967. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim and Mannheim Center of Translational Neurosciences (MCTN), Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1 - 3, Mannheim 68167, Germany. Electronic address:

Background: In multiple sclerosis (MS), iron rim lesions (IRLs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been suggested as an imaging marker of disease progression. However, the exact mechanisms how they contribute to disability are yet not completely known. Strategic lesion location may be an important factor concerning the impact of focal lesions on clinical disability. Read More

CNS Drugs 2022 Jun 20. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.

Siponimod is a selective sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor subtype 1 (S1P) and 5 (S1P) modulator approved in the United States and the European Union as an oral treatment for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS), including active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Preclinical and clinical studies provide support for a dual mechanism of action of siponimod, targeting peripherally mediated inflammation and exerting direct central effects. As an S1P receptor modulator, siponimod reduces lymphocyte egress from lymph nodes, thus inhibiting their migration from the periphery to the central nervous system. Read More

Mult Scler 2022 Jun 20:13524585221102587. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, CRMBM, Marseille, France/APHM, Hôpital de la Timone, Pôle de Neurosciences Cliniques, Service de Neurologie, Marseille, France.

Objective: Quantification of brain injury in patients with variable disability despite similar disease duration may be relevant to identify the mechanisms underlying disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to compare grey-matter sodium abnormalities (GMSAs), a parameter reflecting neuronal and astrocyte dysfunction, in MS patients with benign multiple sclerosis (BMS) and non-benign multiple sclerosis (NBMS).

Methods: We identified never-treated BMS patients in our local MS database of 1352 patients. Read More

Mult Scler 2022 Jun 20:13524585221102158. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Division of Neuroscience, Clinical Neuroimmunology Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.

Background: Development of long-lasting anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) T-cell responses in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) treated with ocrelizumab is questioned.

Objective: Investigate antiviral T-cell responses after infection with SARS-CoV-2 in ocrelizumab-treated pwMS. Control groups included ocrelizumab-treated pwMS without SARS-CoV-2 infection, and non-MS individuals with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection. Read More

Front Hum Neurosci 2022 26;16:868419. Epub 2022 May 26.

Neuroelectric Imaging and BCI Lab, Fondazione Santa Lucia (IRCCS), Rome, Italy.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) can provide people with motor disabilities with an alternative channel to access assistive technology (AT) software for communication and environmental interaction. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system that mostly starts in young adulthood and often leads to a long-term disability, possibly exacerbated by the presence of fatigue. Patients with MS have been rarely considered as potential BCI end-users. Read More

BMJ Neurol Open 2022 7;4(1):e000240. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

Digital Health, Biogen Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Objective: Slowly expanding lesions (SELs), a subgroup of chronic white matter lesions that gradually expand over time, have been shown to predict disability accumulation in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) disease. However, the relationships between SELs, acute lesion activity (ALA), overall chronic lesion activity (CLA) and disability progression are not well understood. In this study, we examined the ASCEND phase III clinical trial, which compared natalizumab with placebo in secondary progressive MS (SPMS). Read More

Front Neurol 2022 1;13:912828. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Functional Imaging Unit, Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark.

The inflammatory processes observed in the central nervous system in multiple sclerosis (MS) could damage the endothelium of the cerebral vessels and lead to a dysfunctional regulation of vessel tonus and recruitment, potentially impairing cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and neurovascular coupling (NVC). Impaired CVR or NVC correlates with declining brain health and potentially plays a causal role in the development of neurodegenerative disease. Therefore, we examined studies on CVR or NVC in MS patients to evaluate the evidence for impaired cerebrovascular function as a contributing disease mechanism in MS. Read More

Mult Scler 2022 Jun 16:13524585221096975. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute, CNRS, Inserm, Paris, France/AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Paris, France/Institut du Cerveau et de la moelle épinière, ICM, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR S 1127, and CNRS UMR 7225, Hopital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.

Objective: To investigate the clinical relevance of individual profiles of cortical and white matter lesion myelin content changes combining magnetisation transfer imaging (MTI) and 11C-PiB-positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: MTI and [C]PiB-PET acquired in 19 patients with MS followed up over 2-4 months and in seven healthy controls (HCs), were employed to generate individual maps of cortical and white matter (WM) lesion myelin content changes, respectively. These maps were used to calculate individual indices of demyelination and remyelination, and to investigate their association with clinical scores. Read More

Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm 2022 Jul 14;9(4). Epub 2022 Jun 14.

From the Department of Medicine (N.S.), Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; Department of Radiology (F.B.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; UCL Institute of Neurology (F.B.), London, UK; Department of Neurology-Neuroimmunology (X.M.), Centre d'Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya (Cemcat), Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain; Multiple Sclerosis Center (A.A.), Sheba Academic Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel; Department of Neurology (T.D.), University Hospital Basel, Switzerland; Department of Neurology (A.C.), Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland; Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research (S.H.), University of New South Wales Medicine, Sydney, Australia; Department of Neurosciences (A.P.), Université de Montréal, QC, Canada; Experimental Neurophysiology Unit (L.L.), Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; The Blizard Institute (K.S.), Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery & Trauma, Barts and The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, UK and; Clinical Board Medicine (Neuroscience) (K.S.), The Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, UK; Danish MS Center (F.S.), Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine (F.S.), University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Univ. Lille (P.V.), Inserm U1172 LilNCog, CHU Lille, FHU Precise, France; Department of Neurology (H.W.), Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Germany; the healthcare business of Merck KGaA (B.K.), Darmstadt, Germany; and Ares Trading S.A. (S.R.), Eysins, Switzerland (an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany).

Background And Objectives: The onset of action for high-efficacy immunotherapies in multiple sclerosis (MS) is an important parameter. This study (MAGNIFY-MS) evaluates the onset of action of cladribine tablets by observing changes in combined unique active (CUA) MRI lesion counts during the first 6 months of treatment in patients with highly active relapsing MS.

Methods: MRI was performed at screening, baseline, and at months 1, 2, 3, and 6 after initiating treatment with cladribine tablets 3. Read More

Rev Neurosci 2022 Jun 14. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Monash Neuromodulation Research Unit, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

Sustained performance of cognitive tasks could lead to the development of state mental fatigue characterized by subjective sensation of mental weariness and decrease in cognitive performance. In addition to the occupational hazards associated with mental fatigue, it can also affect physical performance reducing endurance, balance, and sport-specific technical skills. Similarly, mental fatigue is a common symptom in certain chronic health conditions such as multiple sclerosis affecting quality of life of the patients. Read More

Elife 2022 Jun 14;11. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Jerusalem Mental Health Center, Eitanim Psychiatric Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.

Schizophrenia is a common, severe, and debilitating psychiatric disorder. Despite extensive research there is as yet no biological marker that can aid in its diagnosis and course prediction. This precludes early detection and intervention. Read More

Eur J Neurol 2022 Jun 14. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.

Background And Purpose: Fatigue and low sleep quality in multiple sclerosis (MS) are closely related symptoms. Here, the associations between the brain's functional connectivity (FC) and fatigue and low sleep quality were investigated to determine the degree of neural distinctiveness of these symptoms.

Method: A hundred and four patients with relapsing-remitting MS (age 38. Read More

Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2022 Jun 14. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Immunic AG, Lochhamer Schlage 21, 82166, Gräfelfing, Germany.

Objective: Inhibition of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase suppresses magnetic resonance imaging brain lesions and disease activity in multiple sclerosis but has limiting tolerability. We assessed the safety and efficacy of vidofludimus calcium, a novel, selective dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitor, in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Methods: This double-blind, 24 weeks, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial (EMPhASIS) enrolled patients 18-55 years with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Read More

Comput Intell Neurosci 2022 2;2022:4928096. Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Wenzhou-Kean University, School of Science and Technology, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that causes mild to severe issues in the central nervous system (CNS). Early detection and treatment are necessary to reduce the harshness of the disease in individuals. The proposed work aims to implement a convolutional neural network (CNN) segmentation scheme to extract the MS lesion in a 2D brain MRI slice. Read More