Dr. E. Ann Yeh from the Division of Neurology at SickKids, and 2022 Catalyst Grant recipient, provides an update on her pediatric neuroinflammatory disorders study:
“Our group has shown that higher levels of physical activity associate with lower levels of depression, fatigue and disease activity in youth with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, youth with MS and other neuroinflammatory disorders are inactive. Understanding barriers and facilitators of physical activity behaviour at the individuals and societal level is the first step to developing interventional strategies to increase this modifiable behaviour.”
See the full article here: https://leongcentre.utoronto.ca/news/relationships-between-physical-activity-health-and-environment-insights-pediatric
New trial at SickKids explores how diabetes drug may help multiple sclerosis patients
See full article here: City News: New Trial At Sickkids Explores how diabtes drug may help multiple sclerosis patients
May 14, 2024.
More than 97,000 Canadians have multiple sclerosis (MS) and the country is among those with the highest number of cases in the world.
Unlike other neurological conditions, MS tends to develop in younger adults and is commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 49 and can be seen in children as young as 10 years old. It also tends to affect women more than men.
“An inflammatory process, which is caused by a number of different factors, attacks the brain and it is thought to be, in some ways, the body attacking itself, one’s own immune system attacking oneself and creating discrete areas of inflammation in the brain, in the optic nerve and in the spinal cord,” explains Dr. Ann Yeh, clinician-scientist with SickKids Hospital.
Clinical features and outcomes in children with seronegative autoimmune encephalitis| Ann Yeh | DMCN
May 7, 2024
In this podcast, Ann Yeh discusses her paper ‘Clinical features and outcomes in children with seronegative autoimmune encephalitis’. The paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15896
Neurology Video Journal Ep. 46 Multiple Sclerosis/Autoimmune Neurology: Differentiating MS From AAQP4-NMOSD & MOGAD
In this episode of Neurology Video Journal Club, Dr. Ann Yeh, Director, MS and Neuroinflammatory Disorders Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Professor, Pediatrics (Neurology), University of Toronto, Senior Scientist, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, is joined by Dr. Daniela Castillo Villagrán, Pediatric Neurologist, Clinical Fellow, Pediatric MS & Neuroinflammatory Disorders Program, Hospital for Sick Children & University of Toronto, to discuss an article published in the January 17, 2023 issue of Neurology: “Differentiating Multiple Sclerosis From AQP4-Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder and MOG-Antibody Disease With Imaging.” DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201465 Disclosures can be found at Neurology.org.
Physical Activity a Growing Priority for Patients With MS
See full Article here: Physical Activity and MS
March 03, 2023 SAN DIEGO ― As mounting evidence points to the benefits of physical activity (PA) for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto have developed a mobile app to encourage young patients with the disease to become more active.
The smartphone-based app provides tailored PA information, coaching advice, and tools to increase social connectedness.
A pilot study examining whether the intervention changes activity, depression, and fatigue levels should be wrapped up later this year, but it looks as though the app is succeeding.
“The feedback we’ve gotten so far from our coaches is that the kids seem highly motivated,” one of the creators, E. Ann Yeh, MD, professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and director of the Pediatric MS and Neuroinflammatory Disorders Program at the Hospital for Sick Children, told Medscape Medical News.
New Research Study Investigates Metformin as a Therapy to Promote Brain Repair and Reduce Disability in Children and Young Adults with MS
See full Article Here: Metformin as a therapy
TORONTO, Feb. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada announced $400,000 in funding to support a pilot clinical trial to investigate the use of metformin as a therapy for children and young adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). In partnership with Stem Cell Network (SCN) and Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine (OIRM), this investment increases the funding for the trial to $1 million. These partnerships are critical for leveraging more research dollars and increased impact for the benefit of Canadian health. Metformin, a widely-used and safe drug prescribed for type 2 diabetes, is a therapeutic agent that may promote brain repair and reduce disability following white matter damage in people living with MS.
Damage to white matter in the brain occurs in people with MS resulting in sensory, motor, and cognitive problems. Preclinical evidence shows metformin enhances oligodendrocytes – cells that produce myelin – and promotes white matter repair in animal models and in youth with radiation-induced brain injury. This research aims to translate these preclinical findings from animal and human studies into clinical practice by conducting a pilot feasibility trial.
Dr. Ann Yeh (The Hospital for Sick Children [SickKids], University of Toronto) is the lead investigator of the study and she will be joined by a team of nine Canadian researchers.