The picture in MS, Parkinson’s, and spinal cord injury remained almost unchanged, although there has been a very slight increase in these studies since 2010.
“We are way behind the stroke research,” Dr. Thompson said. “We need global collaboration to correct this.”
That may be coming. Dr. Thompson described a newly minted, multinational study sponsored by the Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Society. The four-armed “Improving Cognition in People with Progressive MS” study will determine whether cognitive rehabilitation and exercise are effective treatments for cognitive dysfunction in people with progressive MS. It seeks to enroll 360 patients in six countries. They will be randomized to a wait list, exercise plus cognitive rehabilitation, exercise only, or cognitive rehabilitation only.
The primary investigator is Anthony Feinstein, MBBCh, PhD, a psychiatrist at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Thompson had no disclosures relevant to his discussion.