View clinical trials related to Multiple Sclerosis.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to determine whether, in patients with multiple sclerosis presenting with marked asymmetry of strength, training the less-affected limb with a Cross-Training approach may induce a meaningful transfer of strength with neurophysiological, functional and clinical correlates, to the contralateral, more-impaired limb.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive neurological disease, the leading cause of disability after injury accidents in young adults. Among the many symptoms, fatigue is very common with a significant impact on quality of life. Also, the disability caused by multiple sclerosis can alter food intake and can cause nutritional deficiencies. Nutrients such as proteins, minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium), some vitamins (B12, 25 OHD) are often deficient in this population with consequences in physical performance such as endurance and muscle strength. We propose to study the link between fatigue and shortcomings encountered in a defined population of MS patients.
Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and has devastating impact on functional activities. There is great demand for medications that will enhance cognitive capacity in MS patients. To date, there is no evidence for improvement in cognition following treatment with aminopyridines, but the few studies on the topic included neuropsychological (NP) tests as secondary or tertiary outcomes, and were methodologically flawed. Dalfampridine may enhance cognition by direct pharmacological mechanisms, and should have effects on motor outcomes as in prior studies. By combining cognition and motor outcomes in the proposed study, the investigators will evaluate if the same patients with positive effects show beneficial responses on motor outcomes including physical activity and if such motor outcomes mediate and/or moderate cognitive improvements with dalfampridine
Cognitive dysfunction is frequent in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to date, there are no available treatments to improve cognition in this patient population. Some evidence from animal studies and small clinical trials suggest that aerobic exercise might beneficially affect cognitive function in MS. The aim of this randomized-controlled trial is to explore if an aerobic exercise training program can enhance cognition in MS. In addition, we will employ neuroimaging markers to determine if exercise alters measures of brain structure and function. Patients will be randomly assigned to either a 3-months exercise program (bicycle ergometry, 2-3 session per week) or a waitlist control group. The primary endpoint of the study is a test of verbal learning and memory. Secondary endpoints include neuroimaging markers of functional and structural connectivity in the brain. We hypothesize that exercise will improve verbal learning and memory and beneficially affect measures of brain connectivity.
JC virus is a benign virus which infects approximately up to 90% of the normal adult population. However, it may be reactivated in people who have a decreased immune function as in HIV infection, cancer, chemotherapy, transplant recipients, or in MS patients treated with natalizumab (Tysabri). In these patients, JC virus can cause a severe brain disease called Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), for which there is no cure. As of September 2013, 400 MS patients in the world, who have been treated with natalizumab, have developed PML. The risk of PML is approximately 5 patients in 1000 after 24 months on the drug. Researchers do not know exactly in which cells of the body the virus lives but it has been isolated from the blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and from the brains of patients with immunosuppression. In this study, the investigators wish to determine precisely where the virus lives, and how the body prevents it from causing brain disease. Because of the association of PML with natalizumab, the investigators would like to see if there is a difference in the amounts of virus in blood, urine, and CSF found in MS patients treated with natalizumab or those treated with different medications for MS, or those not treated at all. The investigators hope that this knowledge will allow us to find better ways of preventing the development of PML as well as treatments for patients with PML.
The correlation between relapses in MS and vitamin D intake will be examined.
The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a DVD-delivered, home-based six-month physical activity intervention for people with Multiple Sclerosis.
MicroRNAs regulate gene expression. The abnormal expression of microRNAs has been reported in many human diseases. The purpose of this pilot study is to determine if microRNA expression is changed in untreated and glatiramer acetate-treated patients with multiple sclerosis.
There is growing evidence that exercise-based rehabilitation results in improvements in mobility and participation in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the vast majority of the scientific evidence in support of this view is based on persons with MS who have minimal mobility impairment. This is partially due to the lack of accessible exercise equipment and facilities available to persons with severe mobility limitations. One option available to persons with severe mobility limitations is body weight supported treadmill training. Indeed, this rehabilitation approach has been utilized with some success in various clinical populations, such as stroke and spinal cord injury, and is believed to target neuroplasticity. Specific to persons with MS, body weight supported treadmill training has shown great promise in improving quality of life, symptoms and functional mobility in two small (n=4 and n=6) pilot investigations. However, previous research has been hampered by methodological limitations including small sample size, lack of a control group and limited training sessions. Consequently, no firm conclusion regarding the benefit of body weighted supported treadmill training in persons with MS can be drawn. The proposed project seeks to determine if twenty-weeks of body weight supported treadmill training leads to improvements in physiological function, mobility and quality of life in persons with MS with severe mobility limitations. The outcomes of this project have the potential to lead to new rehabilitation approaches capable of improving function and quality of life in persons with advanced MS.
The investigators plan to carry out a multicenter randomized clinical trial and MRI study of high-dose oMP (1250mg/day for 3 days) versus lower-high dose oMP (625mg/day for 3 days) and demonstrated that lower-high dose of oMP is as effective as a higher-high dose of oMP in acute relapse of multiple sclerosis (MS). If it is shown, our purpose is to promote this therapeutic regimen because it is safer for the patient (less adverse effects) and less costly to the healthcare system.