Multiple sclerosis and related disorders
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Mult Scler Relat Disord · Oct 2020
The impact of deep grey matter volume on cognition in multiple sclerosis.
Cognitive dysfunctions are very frequent in people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Several studies have previously indicated grey matter (GM) atrophy as useful predictor of patients' cognitive impairment. However, considerable uncertainty exists about the possible impact of deep grey matter volumes on cognition. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of the subcortical (sc) GM volumes with the presence and severity of global and selective cognitive impairment in MS. ⋯ Our results indicated that volumes of several scGM structures, and in particular of thalamus, contribute to determine cognitive dysfunctions in MS, mainly influencing the executive functioning. Further investigations in larger MS cohorts with cognitive impairment are necessary to better understand the structural brain damage underlying this "invisible disability".
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Mult Scler Relat Disord · Oct 2020
LetterMSCOVID19: Using social media to achieve rapid dissemination of health information.
The global COVID-19 pandemic creates an obvious acute health care resourcing and response problem. The different timing of pandemic peak in geographically distinct locations creates a short window of response opportunity. Rapid dissemination of medical information from early affected areas to later ones is therefore crucial to optimise planning. Formulating the best system response for at-risk patient populations is especially complex. People with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are exposed to long-term immunosuppressive disease modifying treatments (DMTs) and, in theory, could be at increased risk of contracting the virus and developing complications. Social media, such as Twitter, can provide a global platform to rapidly share information and individual experiences. ⋯ This report summarizes the case experience of pwMS with COVID-19 infection in the first month of the pandemic as reported on Twitter using the #MSCOVID19 hashtag. 26 individual cases of COVID-19 in pwMS were reported from Europe and the United States of America. The cases involved a combination of relapsing and progressive MS phenotypes treated with a range of DMT (5 anti CD20 therapy, 4 cladribine, 4 fingolimod, 4 injectables, 3 alemtuzumab, 2 dimethyl fumarate, 2 untreated, 1 teriflunomide, 1 natalizumab). The cases shared present the earliest reported data on outcomes of COVID-19 infection in pwMS. Whilst limited, the cautiously reassuring nature of these early cases assisted in clinical management by allowing neurologists to continuously reassess their approach to DMT management.
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Mult Scler Relat Disord · Oct 2020
Investigation of the "central vein sign" in infratentorial multiple sclerosis lesions.
Recently there has been an increasing interest in the "central vein sign" (CVS) in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. Infratentorial brain regions represent typical predilection sites for MS lesion development and are part of the current McDonald criteria to demonstrate dissemination in space, but only a few studies investigated the presence of the CVS in infratentorial MS lesions. The aim of this study was to investigate the CVS in infratentorial MS lesions. ⋯ CVS is a frequent finding in infratentorial MS lesions that may increase the diagnostic value in MS.