Although we are making great strides toward understanding the cause of MS and finding more effective treatments, people with the disease continue to face daily challenges while coping with its unpredictable effects and symptoms. An important aspect of the Society’s research program is to understand how MS impacts psychosocial aspects of people’s lives – not only how it impacts those with the disease, but their family members and friends as well. About half of people with multiple sclerosis may experience some degree of cognitive dysfunction , affecting the ability to think, reason, concentrate or remember.
Recently funded projects in this area ask questions such as:
- How does MS impacts mental and emotional functioning?
- What are the best ways to treat the depression that often comes with MS?
- What are the best strategies for coping with employment issues?
- What techniques can improve learning and memory for everyday activities?
- To what extend and at what rate do mild cognitive deficits change or progress over time?
A few examples of recently funded projects focusing on psychosocial issues in MS:
- Ralph Benedict, PhD, and colleagues (Buffalo General Hospital, NY) are investigating whether loss of nerve tissue in the brain and spinal cord during the course of MS affects personality or behavioral changes. They also are seeking to determine the impact of personality on disease course and quality of life. Dr. Benedict’s team is measuring personality and behavior patterns over three years in 100 people with relapsing-remitting or secondary-progressive MS and 34 controls without MS. They are administering standard neuropsychological tests as well as MRI scans and then correlate specific changes in personality with specific types of brain tissue loss. This study could open the door to better psychological screening methods and preventative therapies.
- In previous studies of people with MS, Nancy Sicotte, MD, and colleagues found evidence of tissue loss in an area of the brain called the hippocampus, a region deep in the brain known to be important in memory processes. Now her team is using sophisticated imaging and nerve tissue analyses to look at subsections of the hippocampus in people with MS. They are distinguishing whether the tissue damage involves the stripping of nerve-insulating myelin, the loss of connections between nerve cells or a complete loss of nerve cells. Dr. Sicotte’s team recently reported revealing findings about the origins of depression in MS which may ultimately offer ways to prevent it.
- In a previous Society-funded study, Christopher Christodolou, PhD, found that high levels of negative affect (emotions such as depressed mood and anxiety) in a person best predicted cognitive problems over one year, particularly memory problems. One way that negative affect could be associated with impaired cognition is through a structure near the center of the brain called the hippocampus, which is important for learning and memory. Now Dr. Christodolou and colleagues are exploring the role of the hippocampus in negative affect using a new imaging method. They are testing a group of adults with MS over 12 months, examining the relationship between cognitive abilities, negative affect and any detected changes in the hippocampus.
MS Trial Alert: Investigators Recruiting for Study Comparing Exercise Programs to Improve Depression
Feb 08, 2012
Summary: Investigators at the University of Washington, Seattle, are recruiting 108 people with all types of MS or spinal cord injury nationwide for a study comparing the effects on depression of two telephone-coordinated exercise programs. The study, also called the inMotion study, is funded by the National Institutes on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
MS Trial Alert: Pain Study Recruiting People with MS Nationwide
Feb 07, 2012
Summary: Investigators nationwide are recruiting 400 people with secondary-progressive MS or relapsing-remitting MS to compare the effectiveness of three doses of the oral drug AVP-923 (Nuedexta®, dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine sulfate, Avanir Pharmaceuticals) or inactive placebo in reducing central neuropathic pain. The study is funded by Avanir Pharmaceuticals.
Research Teams Report on 18 Months of Progress from MS Societies’ Initial Studies on CCSVI and MS
Jan 27, 2012
Reports from 7 multi-disciplinary teams investigating CCSVI in MS indicate that they are making good progress toward providing essential data and critical analysis as these two-year projects move toward their completion. The studies were launched on July 1, 2010 with a more than $ 2.4 million commitment from the MS Society of Canada and the National MS Society (USA).