Disease progression

The approved therapy Edaravone, used for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and stroke, may be a promising treatment for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to a new study. The use of edaravone in NMOSD cell and mouse models promoted restoration of the myelin sheath — damaged in immune attacks…

Inflammatory episodes in the spinal cord of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) resulted in changes in functional connectivity in the brain, an imaging study shows. Functional connectivity refers to the correlation between brain signals over time that reflects functional connections between two or more brain regions. Reduced…

A low dose of rituximab — infused at 100 mg weekly for three consecutive weeks — was effective at preventing relapses and disability progression in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to a meta-analysis of five different regimens. Moreover, treatment with rituximab at this low…

Older age, diagnostic delays, and a greater disability at diagnosis were associated with a higher risk of developing permanent disability for people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) at a center in Mexico. “This information is required to design healthcare strategies to recognize and treat patients with NMOSD early…

Patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) or multiple sclerosis (MS), another disease that damages the protective myelin sheaths around nerve cells, are at higher risk than healthy individuals of also developing Parkinson’s disease (PD), a South Korean study found. The study, “Risk of Parkinson’s disease…

A man’s first manifestation of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) was aseptic meningitis, an inflammation of the meninges (the membranes that enclose the brain and spinal cord) without evidence of a bacterial infection, which is unusual and made a quick diagnosis difficult, says a report from Japan. The man…

Longer-term treatment with immunosuppressants may halve the risk of relapse, or of symptoms returning, in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a study in China found. When taken non-stop for up to five years, such treatment reduced the risk of relapse in NMOSD patients, with a mild rebound when immunosuppressants…

Constipation may be linked with pain due to nerve cell damage in people diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and the related disorder myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD), a study suggests. “Both symptoms were significantly more common among patients with a history of myelitis,” the researchers wrote of constipation…

Blood levels of two proteins, GFAP and neurofilament light chain (NfL), may help predict the course of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to new research. Findings also suggest that many NMOSD patients have evidence of brain lesions with active inflammation without any associated symptoms, which indicates that disease…

A system that stages neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) based on damage to astrocytes — the specific brain cells that are attacked in NMOSD — was recently developed by a team of researchers in Japan. While more work is needed, the system identifies four stages, largely based on astrocytopathy…