Elevated levels of serum neurofilament-light chain (NfL), a marker of axonal damage, are an indicator of increased microglial activation in the brain, according to a positron emission tomography (PET) study in Finland (Saraste et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2023;94:698-706). Read More
Neurology
Biomarkers after stopping treatment may identify at-risk MS patients
November 30, 2023Increasing levels of neurofilament-light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) after drug discontinuation may identify previously stable MS patients at risk of new disease activity, according to Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of MS at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (CLIMB) investigators (Bose et al. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm 2023;10:e200167; free full text at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10574823/pdf/NXI-2023-000383.pdf ). Read More
Exploring the lung-brain axis in MS
November 29, 2023An emerging concept in MS research is the role of the lung microbiome in promoting disease severity, with preliminary evidence showing that pulmonary micro-organisms can regulate autoimmunity in the central nervous system (reviewed in Chen et al. Int J Mol Sci 2023;24:2170). Read More
OCT – diagnosis and prognosis
November 8, 2023ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS 2023 presented new data on the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a biomarker in multiple sclerosis. The following is a brief summary of recent findings. Read More
Novel treatments: targeting CD40 ligand
November 1, 2023The transmembrane receptor CD40 and its ligand (CD40L or CD154) are involved in initiating and sustaining the inflammatory response. While these responses are beneficial in infection and tumour lysis, chronic activation has been implicated in a range of neuroinflammatory and autoimmune conditions, including MS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Read More