Active clinical trials for "Multiple Sclerosis"

This study will determine whether fish oil can reduce depression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are mild to moderately depressed and are currently taking antidepressant medication. Study hypothesis: Three months of fish oil supplementation will improve depression scores on the Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS) or Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) better than placebo.

This study will examine the safety and effectiveness of Zenapax (a laboratory-manufactured antibody) in treating multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis may be caused by an abnormal immune response in which white blood cells called T lymphocytes attack the myelin sheath that covers nerves and parts of the spinal cord. Zenapax binds to protein receptors on lymphocytes, keeping them from interacting with interleukin-2, a substance necessary for their growth. Patients with multiple sclerosis who have had at least one relapse within 18 months of the start of the study and in whom interferon-beta treatment has not been successful may be considered for this study. There are two study phases: baseline and treatment. During the baseline phase, patients will have three magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans over 2 months to evaluate their disease activity. During treatment, patients will receive seven intravenous (I.V.) infusions of Zenapax in the clinic. The first two infusions will be given 2 weeks apart; the next five will be given once a month. Patients will have MRI scans before each infusion. The MRIs will be done using the standard procedure and again using a contrast agent, gadolinium, injected into a vein. Gadolinium helps identify new multiple sclerosis lesions in the brain. Blood and urine samples will be taken during each clinic visit. In addition, patients will have skin tests, similar to a tuberculin test, to evaluate immune status, and will be asked to undergo two lumbar punctures (spinal tap; these will be optional)-one before the treatment phase begins, and another when treatment is completed. Lymphocytes will also be collected from patients before, during and after treatment. The lymphocytes are obtained by a procedure called apheresis: about a pint of whole blood is drawn through a needle in the arm, the lymphocytes are separated out and removed by a machine, and the rest of the blood is returned through a needle in the other arm. These studies will hopefully allow conclusions about the safety of Zenapax in MS, but also address its effectiveness with respect to modifying the inflammatory activity in the brain of MS patients and inhibit autoimmune T lymphocytes that are involved in the disease process. ...

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease often diagnosed in a person's 20s or 30s, at a time when most people are starting careers and families. In relapsing remitting (RR) MS new neurological symptoms suddenly develop over hours to days during relapses, and they do not start to resolve for days to weeks. Relapse symptoms may not completely disappear, such that disability accumulates over time. Further, most persons with RRMS will enter a progressive phase years after diagnosis. It is unpredictable when the transition to the progressive phase will occur and how quickly this progression will happen. Thus, receiving an MS diagnosis is a highly stressful event. Persons with MS (PwMS) often suffer from mood symptoms, which can further impair quality of life (QOL). PwMS need support and the skills to effectively cope with the distress that comes with the uncertainty of a new MS diagnosis, as well as to minimize or prevent the onset of negative mood symptoms. One promising approach is mindfulness - a mental state of paying attention with intention, and accepting the present moment as it is without judgment. Scientific evidence supports the use of mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) in other chronic diseases to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, leading to improved physical function and QOL. MBIs decreased stress-related symptoms and the levels of stress hormones in the blood. As such, MBIs have the potential to lessen the negative consequences of stress in newly diagnosed PwMS.

Motor learning can induce significant changes in the human brain through neural plasticity processes, which play a crucial role in the brain functional reorganization in response to external stimuli and/or to pathological conditions. For example, people with multiple sclerosis present motor deficits often associated with cerebral activity alteration. However, whether these brain activation changes contribute to or protect against motor performance deficits still needs to be determined. Moreover, rehabilitation protocols could be designed to obtain efficient brain adaptation to preserve patients' outcome, but consistent data on the real efficacy of rehabilitative procedures are lacking, in particular concerning the rehabilitation effect on brain networks. Therefore, this project focuses on the degree to which imaging measures of functional brain activity can give new hints on the effects of motor rehabilitative protocols in multiple sclerosis patients' performance. Particularly, the investigator's aim is to investigate the effects of upper limb rehabilitation, focused on hand motor function, and the correlation between motor performance and functional magnetic resonance data.

This is a randomized controlled trial that will test the effects of intermittent fasting (IF) in subjects with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). The goal of this clinical trial is to acquire objective evidence regarding whether an IF diet has beneficial effects in MS patients.Two dietary regimens, IF and western diet, will be compared in a randomized, controlled, single-blinded 12 week trial in RRMS patients. This is a single-center study.

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of a 12-week pilot community-based nutrition program for individuals with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, and to determine the effects of the nutrition program on body composition, inflammation, neuropathic pain, depression and quality of life.

Besides coping with the diagnosis, people with multiple sclerosis have to make complex decisions such as deciding about immunotherapies. They search not only for factual information, but also for reports of patient experiences (PEx). The investigators aim to evaluate in a randomised controlled pilot trial whether a website presenting PEx as an adjunct to factual information may help people with multiple sclerosis in their immunotherapy decision-making processes.

Primary Objective: To determine the dose-response relationship for SAR442168 to reduce the number of new active brain lesions. Secondary Objectives: To evaluate efficacy of SAR442168 on disease activity as assessed by imaging measures. To evaluate the safety and tolerability of SAR442168.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on neuropathic pain and fatigue in people with MS. The investigators will conduct tDCS or sham on 5 consecutive days. They will evaluate pain and fatigue with specific questionnaires and measure fatigability with an isokinetic device. The research question is whether tDCS can lessen neuropathic pain and increase fatigue resistance in people with MS. It is hypothesized, that less neuropathic pain and increased fatigue resistance after the tDCS sessions.

The logistic advantages and advanced training capabilities of the G-EO System, as well as the benefits reported in other populations, support this strategy as a potentially potent rehabilitation tool for restoring and maintaining function in progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This approach represents a paradigm shifting opportunity for improving current clinical practices for patients with progressive MS. If successful, this project will provide initial evidence for increasing patient access to the G-EO System, and this could be accomplished through "regional technology centers" using a rural health-delivery approach. There are several novel aspects of the proposed trial: (1) the examination of a novel gait rehabilitation stimulus (G-EO System) that could alter current clinical practices; (2) the focus on patients with progressive MS who have gait impairment (i.e., those who have received minimal research attention), which was recently described as the greatest therapeutic challenge facing the MS community; and (3) a study design that accounts for standard therapy. Specific Aims: The investigators designed a single-blinded, randomized pilot trial of electromechanically-assisted gait training using the G-EO System in patients with progressive MS with gait disability (EDSS=4.0-7.5). Specific Aim 1 will establish the safety and feasibility of gait training using the G-EO System. Specific Aim 2 will determine the efficacy of gait training using the G-EO System for improving mobility, symptomatic, quality of life, and participatory outcomes.