Increased level of NFL is a general feature of MS, indicating continuous axonal damage during the entire course of the disease with the most profound damage during acute relapses. GFAP may serve as a biomarker for disease progression, probably reflecting the increasing rate of astrogliosis.

The major intermediate cytoskeletal protein of astrocytes, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and that of axons, neurofilament light protein (NFL), may both be released into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during pathological processes in the central nervous system (CNS). We investigated GFAP and NFL levels in CSF as possible biomarkers for progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). Patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS, n = 15) or secondary progressive MS (SPMS, n = 10) and healthy control subjects (n = 28) were examined twice with an interval of 8-10 years apart. Neurological deficits were scored with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). GFAP and NFL levels were determined in CSF by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). GFAP levels and NFL levels correlated with age (r and r (s) = 0.50, p = 0.006). Adjusting for age, MS patients had increased GFAP levels compared with controls (p = 0.03) and GFAP levels correlated with neurological disability (EDSS, r = 0.51, p < 0.05) and disease progression [Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS), r = 0.47, p < 0.05]. The mean annual increase of GFAP was 6.5 ng/L for controls, 8.1 ng/L for RRMS patients, and 18.9 ng/L for SPMS patients. GFAP level at the first examination had predictive value for neurological disability 8-10 years later (EDSS, r = 0.45, p < 0.05) but not for EDSS increase between the examinations. NFL levels were not significantly increased in MS patients compared with controls and had no relationship to disability or progression and no prognostic value for disability development. GFAP, a marker for astrogliosis, is a potential biomarker for MS progression and may have a role in clinical trials for assessing the impact of therapies on MS progression.

Pridopidine shows promise as a treatment for some of the symptoms of HD. In this small-scale study, the most notable effect was improvement in voluntary motor symptoms. Larger, longer-term trials are warranted.

These results suggest an involvement of BACE1 in the MS disease process.

We found that 19% (9/47) of healthy siblings of patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis had an intrathecal immunological reaction with two or more 2 CSF-enriched oligoclonal bands (OCBs), in contrast to (4%) (2/50) unrelated healthy controls. Furthermore, in this group of nine healthy sibs the measles CSF IgG antibody titers were higher than that of the other sibs and that of controls. There were also differences in the serum titers for measles IgG antibody, which were higher in the group of all healthy sibs than in healthy volunteers, and (as with CSF titers) higher in the subgroup of healthy sibs with two or more 2 CSF-enriched OCBs than the other sibs. Thus a significant proportion of healthy siblings to MS patients have a partially hyperimmune condition similar to that occurring in MS, which in 19% manifested itself as an OCB reaction, in 9% as increased CSF measles IgG antibody titers, and in 21% as increased serum measles IgG antibody titers, these phenomena tending to occur in the same individuals. This condition is characterized by CSF-enriched OCBs with undefined specificity, although some increased antiviral reactivity is found both in the serum and CSF. While it needs further characterization, a genetic trait interacting with common infections is suggested. The recurrence risk of this condition is approximately five times higher than the 3-4% recurrence risk for manifest MS reported for sibs.