Now
addressing them improves the
quality of life of people with MS.
(Multiple Sclerosis, published
online 18 June 2010.)
Self-management and other
strategies
With a Society Mentor-Based
Fellowship in Rehabilitation
Research Marcia Finlayson, MSc,
OTR, PhD (University of Illinois
at Chicago) is currently training
researchers to conduct “
self-management” training. This will help
people with MS to develop the
skills to manage their disease, its
symptoms, and its consequences
on their daily life, with the aim
of improving quality of life.
Other Society-funded efforts
include clinical trials of interven-
tions to improve the symptoms
most likely to interfere with a
good quality of life:
n Barbara Giesser, MD,
and her colleagues (University
of California, Los Angeles) are
comparing the effects on cogni-
tive performance of an aerobic
exercise program lasting six
months to the effects of non-
aerobic stretching exercises.
n Dean M. Wingerchuk,
MD (Mayo Clinic Scottsdale)
is conducting a clinical trial of
aspirin to improve MS-related
fatigue in 135 people at three
sites in the U.S.
n Robert Motl, PhD (Uni-
versity of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign) is testing an exer-
cise regimen that incorporates
balanced amounts of aerobic,
resistance, and balance modes of
training, to help manage mobility problems.
n A new grant to Jacob J.
Sosnoff, PhD (University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is
funding a clinical trial investigating the effects of different durations and intensities of leg cycling
exercise on MS spasticity.
Looking at long-term
quality of life
MS is a lifelong experience, and
quality of life may change over
time. Dr. Miller’s team is looking
at these changes in people who are
seen at the Mellen MS Center at
the Cleveland Clinic. More than
80% of patients are completing
questionnaires in advance of every
clinic appointment, via computer,
either at home or at the clinic.
“We plan to compare people
who report that their quality of life
is good and those who report that
it’s not as good,” said Dr. Miller.
“What are the differences in their
lives and their MS experience? If
we can see that, we can get an idea
of what interventions can improve
quality of life.” The team has been
collecting data in this ongoing
effort since 2007, and has now
begun analyzing them.
Dr. Miller wants to see quality
of life measures used in practice,
not just clinical trials. As less
time-consuming and less cumbersome measures are developed,
this may become a reality. “It’s
simply essential. We need to
understand fully how this disease
affects the lives of the people who
have it,” Dr. Miller concluded.
The deep science
of cannabinoids
for MS
There’s a lot of talk about mar- ijuana: Does it relieve MS
symptoms? The jury is still out
(see “Marijuana and MS—An
Unfinished Story,” Momentum,
Fall 2010). But another side of
cannabis is gaining in interest. Is
there a role for it in battling MS
itself?
The neuroprotective
prospects of cannabis
Cannabis works by interacting
with “cannabinoid receptors”
(think of cannabis as a key and
receptors as the lock) that exist
on certain cells in the body,
including brain cells. Gareth
Pryce, PhD, David Baker, PhD
(University College London) and
colleagues regulated the receptor CB1 in mice with a progressive form of EAE, an MS-like
disease, to determine what the
effects would be.
Mice that were genetically
engineered to lack CB1 experienced considerably increased
nerve degeneration. Compounds
that activated CB1 reduced
damage to nerve cells. Brain
2003;126:2191–202 These
results, along with research in
other diseases such as stroke,
suggest that cannabis might be
capable of protecting the brain
from damage.
A clinical trial is already ongoing to test this idea in MS. John
