Enhanced axonal metabolism during early natalizumab treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Glatiramer Acetate in the context of multiple sclerosis in this controlled clinical trial publication.

In this longitudinal study, the effect of natalizumab on absolute concentrations of total N-acetylaspartate, a marker for neuronal integrity, and other brain metabolites is investigated in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis by using MR spectroscopic imaging.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 25 patients were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

In this explorative observational study, 25 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis initiating natalizumab treatment were included and scanned every 6 months for 18 months.

Additionally 18 matched patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis continuing treatment with interferon-β or glatiramer acetate were included along with 12 healthy controls.

How the Study Was Run

The methods mention a period of 18 months.

Imaging included short TE 2D-MR spectroscopic imaging with absolute metabolite quantification of total N-acetylaspartate, creatine and phosphocreatine, choline-containing compounds, myo-inositol, and glutamate.

Concentrations were determined for lesional white matter, normal-appearing white matter, and gray matter.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Axons, Brain, Early Medical Intervention, Energy Metabolism, Glatiramer Acetate, Image Enhancement and Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a controlled clinical trial of Glatiramer Acetate in 25 patients in people with multiple sclerosis over 18 months.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Its findings take up roughly 5 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2015 (AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Glatiramer Acetate compound page, Multiple sclerosis research.