Active clinical trials for "Multiple Sclerosis"

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic condition of the central nervous system; around 1 in 600 people in the United Kingdom have MS. Many people with MS (70%) have cognitive difficulties, which they experience as distressing and disabling, and there is currently a lack of treatment options to improve these difficulties. SMART (Strengthening Mental Abilities with Relational Training) - a theory-based online cognitive training programme, which has been shown to improve general cognitive abilities - has not been tested with people who have MS. Aims: To conduct a feasibility study to inform development of a definitive trial of SMART for improving cognitive functioning in people with MS. The investigators will assess: Acceptability to participants of the intervention, delivery format, inclusion/exclusion criteria, baseline and outcome measures, randomisation protocol, and study procedures The framework for a cost-effectiveness analysis alongside a definitive trial Participant recruitment and retention rates Sample-size needed for fully powered trial Signal of efficacy Plan: To address Aims 1-5, the investigators will recruit 60 adults with MS who are experiencing cognitive difficulties, identified from MS clinics. Participants will complete baseline assessments of their cognitive abilities and answer questionnaires about their cognitive difficulties, personal priorities, mood, fatigue, self-efficacy, quality of life, and healthcare services used. Assessments will be administered by a researcher, face-to-face or remotely. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of three arms (20 per group): Group 1: Receives SMART intervention online - plus usual care (MS Nurse support). SMART intervention involves completing a series of logic problems, which are designed to train skills that scaffold complex cognition. Group 2: Receives usual care alone. Group 3: Receives a 'control' intervention online - plus usual care. Baseline measures will be re-administered at three- and six-months post-randomisation. Researchers and patient-partners (people with personal experience of MS, who will act as co-researchers) will also interview 30 participants about their experience of the study and treatment. All qualitative data will be transcribed and thematically analysed in terms of a priori feasibility aims. Quantitative data will enable sample-size calculation for a definitive study and determine signal of efficacy.

to determine the rate of asymptomatic gadolinium-enhancing lesions conversion to the non-enhancing black hole (neBHs) with or without corticosteroid pulse therapy in patients with RRMS, and to analyze if treatment of asymptomatic gadolinium enhancement lesions has any effect on the expanded disability status scale. The study is performed in the MS clinic of Bu Ali Sina Hospital in Sari and Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. 104 recurrent MS patients are admitted based on the admission criteria. They are divided into two groups of intervention and control based on a simple randomization block. The intervention group received 1 gram of methylprednisolone in 500 ccs of normal saline for 5 days and the control group received only 500 ccs of serum. After 6 months, a new MRI is taken from the patients and the possibility of asymptomatic active plaque conversion with or without intervention is compared in the two groups, as well as the amount of EDSS in the two groups. They do not know whether the patient is in the control group or the intervention.

Multi-center, randomized , double-blind, placebo-controlled , two arm parallel design study of NeuroVax™ vs. Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant ( I F A) placebo. 200 subjects with Secondary Progressive SPMS

Rationale: Approx. 80% of acute stroke patients suffer from acute hemiparesis. Stroke patients have not reached their full potential when they are discharged from hospital. It is proven that extra training opportunities lead to further improvement. To date, new training possibilities, such as robotic techniques for rehabilitation, virtual reality training systems and tele-rehabilitation are being developed to aid in the training of stroke patients. Objective: To obtain preliminary evidence on the efficacy of an individualised, intensive 6-week technology-assisted training regime, featuring a robotics-based self-adapting arm training system (I-TRAVLE) in a virtual context, focussed on improvement of arm function and arm skill performance in chronic stroke patients with low to moderate proximal (shoulder/arm) muscle strength. Study design: single arm prospective cohort study. Study population: 16 stroke patients in the chronic phase after their stroke, aged >=18, diagnosed with a central paresis of the arm, having low to moderate proximal (shoulder and arm) muscle strength. Intervention (if applicable): Haptic feedback of the I-TRAVLE robot either supports or challenges the patient to perform movements of the arm, thereby training motor control and co-ordination of the affected arm. Also strength and endurance of arm muscle use may be trained. The I-TRAVLE based training will last 6 weeks. Each week participants will attend training sessions on 3 days, during which they will train 2x 30 minutes, interspaced by at least half an hour to avoid (general) fatigue and overuse. Main study parameters/endpoints: Baseline measurements will be performed 3x prior to the start of the intervention, each interspaced by 1 week to assess baseline stability or any fluctuations in baseline values. In these chronic stroke patients spontaneous improvement is not expected. Also measurements will be performed at 0 weeks and at 12 weeks post training. Primary outcome measures: Wolf Motor Function Test, ABILHAND, and Goal Attainment Scaling. Secondary outcome measures are: motricity index, plate tapping task, active range of motion, perceived strength and fatigue.

This is a Phase IV study to compare the current level of MS LifeLines ® (MSLL) services (face-to-face nursing visits and phone contacts) with customized MSLL services, to determine the optimal services to enhance medication adherence and treatment persistence with Rebif ® subcutaneous three times a week.

Past research has shown that items self-generated by an individual, such as words or concepts, are remembered better than items that are simply read or heard. The current study seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of using the principles of the generation effect in a treatment intervention to improve memory and functional performance in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis who have learning and memory difficulties.The main purpose of the study is to conduct an experimental investigation on the effects of a self-generation strategy treatment, embedded within practice of various activities ranging from laboratory tasks (e.g. words and concepts) to functional tasks (e.g. activities of daily living). The treatment to be tested is geared toward helping patients selfdiscover their own strengths and abilities while using self-generation to be able to utilize it independently in everyday life situations. Design: The proposed pilot study is a randomized clinical trial. Participants: Participants will include forty (40) persons with MS, between the ages of 18 and 65, who demonstrate memory impairments. Half of the participants will receive the self-generation training while learning different types of tasks (experimental group) and half of the participants (control group) will be asked to learn the same information but will receive a conventional practice (e.g. repetitions). Expected results: We expect that participants undergoing the self-generation-training intervention will show better memory performance, functional performance, quality of life, and satisfaction with treatment and life compared to participants in the control condition.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of a combination of interferon beta 1-b (Betaseron®) and tacrolimus (Prograf®) in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) who have failed treatment with currently approved drugs for MS Prograf is an immunosuppressant that weakens the immune reactions responsible to protect the organism against infections. It is currently available on the market for patients who have received an organ transplant, to prevent rejection. Because of its effect on the immune system, theoretically, Prograf should exert a significant effect in MS. It has been tried in a small number of MS patients at a lower dose than the one used in organ transplant, however the results of the study did not allow to draw definite conclusions on its safety and efficacy in MS. Betaseron is approved in Canada for the reduction of the frequency of relapses in patients with relapsing-remitting MS and for the slowing of progression and reduction of the frequency of relapses in patients with secondary-progressive MS. The combination of Betaseron and Prograf may result in an additive effect or an increase in the actions of the drugs. However, the combination of the two drugs has never been studied. The aim of this study is to see how well the combination of Betaseron and Prograf is tolerated by patients with MS. The side effects of the treatment, if any, will be followed. In addition, the efficacy of the combination will be evaluated.

The purpose of this study is to investigate if the simvastatin treatment improve the visual function after 3 months of the inclusion to this project and if the simvastatin influences the results on cerebral MRI after 3 and 6 months of the inclusion. In addition the development of new demyelinating relapses. In the patients with monosymptomatic acut optic neuritis to investigate whether the simvastatin reduces the risk to develop multiple sclerosis (MS).

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is often characterized by the presence of balance and cognitive impairments. Cognitive functions play a key role in balance control. Simultaneously performing cognitive tasks decreases walking and balance ability (Dual-Task cost). Rehabilitative treatment of patients with MS does not have to consider separately the motor and cognitive aspects. Video-Game Therapy (VGT) is a novel tool that allows a multimodal training approach. VGT typically provides augmented feedback during training that can contribute to learning motor skills. The main objective of this exploratory study will be to test the effects of a commercially available VGT on balance and cognitive function in ambulatory MS patients compared to a standardized balance platform training (BPT). Secondary, we will explore the effects of VGT and BPT on other domains that are usually impaired in MS population and that can be improved by motor rehabilitation, such as psychological well-being, fatigue and Quality of Life.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that causes damage within the central nervous system and results in deficits of body functions. The investigators propose a pilot randomized controlled trial examining the acute effect of kinesio tape application in various body segments on balance, mobility, physical functioning, and pain in persons with MS (pwMS) aged 18 to 55 years old. The investigators will objectively assess balance using a force platform and mobility and physical functioning will be assessed using standardized tests (i.e., Timed Up and Go, Timed 25-foot Walk, 6-minute Step Test, Six Spot Step Test). The trial will recruit 24 pwMS aged 18 to 55 years with mild-to-moderate MS-related disability who will be randomized into intervention (Kinesio Tape) or control conditions (Sham/Inflexible Tape). Participants will complete assessments before and after tape application. This pilot trial will inform future research interventions aiming to use the approach in different situations with pwMS (e.g., exercise).