Progress in Multiple Sclerosis Research

At the annual meetings of the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Socie­ ties (IFMSS) the representatives of the national MS societies of numerous countries assemble for discussions and reports on work accomplished, under way, and to be undertaken in the future. In addition to publicity work, education, and patient ser­ vices, there has been an increasing interest in obtaining first hand, reliable, and re­ alistic information not only on the medical problems relevant to diagnosis, treat­ ment, and the management of MS, but also on progress in the difficult field of MS research. For this purpose the International Medical Advisory Board (IMAB) was founded. In the past years its members have organized a number of symposia in conjunc­ tion with the IFMSS meetings in New York, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Toronto, Am­ sterdam. The program of the G6ttingen symposium, relevant in its focus to the 1978 meeting of the IFMSS in Hannover, had the double purpose of bringing together scientists from many countries with active MS societies, and to inform the organi­ zers and members of these societies, and thereby also the MS patients, of problems and progress in a number of areas of MS research. The program was conceived as a survey of newer work undertaken in basic and experimental MS research and, on the clinical side, as a reassessment of the prerequisites in the diagnosis of MS, the value of laboratory tests, some therapeutic approaches, and organizational princi­ ples in the management of MS.

Experimental Models in Demyelinating Disease.- Applications of Chronic Relapsing Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis to the Study of Multiple Sclerosis..- Chronic Relapsing EAE: Its Application to Study of Human Inflammatory Demyelinating Diseases..- Refinement of the EAE Model Utilizing Various Synthetic Adjuvants and Bacterial Fractions: An Attempt to Produce a Chronic Model of EAE..- Discussion.- Theiler’s Virus Infection of the Central Nervous System of Mice: An Animal Model of Virus-Induced Demyelination..- Acute and Recurrent Demyelination Induced by Wild-Type and Temperature-Sensitive Mutants of Mouse Hepatitis Virus. Electron-Microscopic Studies..- Coronavirus Infection in Rats..- Search for Viral Nucleic Acids in Multiple Sclerosis Brain..- A Possible Coronavirus Isolation from Multiple Sclerosis Autopsy Material..- Defective Viral Infection: The Rescue of Virus from Antigen-Negative Cells..- Some Properties of Cortical Nerve Cells of Adult Rats Bulk Isolated After Brain Perfusion..- In Vitro Demyelination by Lymphocytes and Lymphokines from Patients and Experimental Animals..- The Virus-Host Relationship in CNS Model Cells..- Attempts to Transmit Multiple Sclerosis to Newborn and Germ-Free Nonhuman Primates: A Ten Year Interim Report..- Laboratory Investigations in Relation to the Etiology and Pathogenesis of MS.- Production of Interspecies Hybridomas Between CSF or Blood Lymphocytes from Patients with Neurological Diseases and Mouse Myeloma Cells..- Antibodies to Myelin Basic Protein in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis..- Multiple Sclerosis De Novo Central Nervous System IgG Synthesis: Measurement, Antibody Profile, Significance, Eradication, and Problems..- Evaluation of the Blood/CSF Permeability Coefficients and of the Intrathecal Synthesis of IgG by Capillary Isotachophoresis..- CSF-Oligoclonal Bands in Multiple Sclerosis..- CSF Findings in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Optic Neuritis..- Oligoclonal Cerebrospinal Fluid Immunoglobulin in Relation to Measles and Parainfluenza Antibody Response in Multiple Sclerosis..- Oligoclonal Bands in Cerebrospinal Fluid..- Quantitative Determination of IgG Subclasses in CSF and Serum of MS Patients: Comparison with Other Neurological Diseases and Normal Controls..- Assessment of Process Activity in Multiple Sclerosis and Changes in Spinal Fluid..- Evaluation of IgG Synthesis in the Central Nervous System..- CSF Lipids in Demyelinating Diseases..- Diagnostic Value of Myelin Basic Protein in Cerebrospinal Fluid..- Myelin Basic Protein in Cerebrospinal Fluid as an Indicator of MS Process Activity..- Central and Peripheral Myelin Basic Protein in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Multiple Sclerosis and Other Neurological Disorders..- The Activity of a Cholesterol Ester Hydrolase in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid.- Clinical Relevance of the Determination of IgM in the Cerebrospinal Fluid with Special Reference to Multiple Sclerosis Patients..- Discussion.- Nucleic and Viral Antibodies in Serum and CSF of MS Patients..- CSF Proteinase Inhibitors..- The Occurrence of Immune Complexes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis..- Immune Complexes in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Serum of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis..- Viral-Induced Immunological Incompetence as an Etiologic Factor in Multiple Sclerosis..- Discussion.- Approaches to Understanding the Role of Antibody in Multiple Sclerosis..- Partial Purification of MS-Specific Antigens..- Discussion.- Studies of Immune Reactions in Multiple Sclerosis by Active T-Rosette Test, Immunofixation and Myelinotoxicity of Lymphocytes in the Rabbit Eye..- Antibody-Dependent Cytotoxicity of Lymphocytes Against Basic Protein of Myelin in Multiple Sclerosis..- New Aspects of Lymphocyte Reactivity and Lymphokine Activity in Multiple Sclerosis..- Viral Antibody Responses in the Central Nervous System of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis..- Measles Reactivity in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis..- Measles Virus Infection of Human Lymphocytes..- Kinetics of Measles Virus Antibodies in Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Correlation to the Clinical Course of the Disease..- Longitudinal Studies of Viral Antibody Synthesis in MS Patients..- Discussion.- Supressor Lymphocyte Function During Attacks of Multiple Sclerosis..- Discussion.- Purification and Characterization of the T-Cell Antigen Receptor Recognizing the Basic Encephalitogenic Protein..- Immunological Cell Surface Marker Analysis in Multiple Sclerosis..- The Enhancing Effect of Multiple Sclerosis Brain Homogenates on Active E-Rosette Forming Lymphocytes in Neurological Disorders. Relationship Between Rosette Formation and Clinical Parameters..- Recent Methods of in Vitro Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis..- Discussion.- Distribution of Lymphocyte Subpopulations in the Peripheral Blood of MS Patients Under Corticotrophin Therapy..- Cytological Findings in Cerebrospinal Fluid as Criteria of Process Activity in Multiple Sclerosis..- Discussion.- Multiple Sclerosis: Presence of Lymphatic Capillaries and Lymphoid Tissue in the Brain and Spinal Cord..- A Histological and Histochemical Study of the Macroscopically Normal White Matter in Multiple Sclerosis..- The Pathology of the Active Lesion..- Discussion.- Glia Cell Alterations in Multiple Sclerosis..- Ultrastructural Changes in Peripheral Nerves in Multiple Sclerosis and Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis..- c-AMPase and Lipids in Multiple Sclerosis and Normal Brain Myelin..- Recent Trends in MS Therapy -Reports on Results.- Long-Term Immunosuppressive Treatment with Azathioprine in Multiple Sclerosis. A 10 Year Trial with 77 Patients..- Long-Term Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis with Azathioprine..- Long-Term Azathioprine Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis..- Azathioprine in Multiple Sclerosis. A Controlled Prospective Study..- Prognostic Factors in Intensive Immunosuppressive Treatment of Chronic Progressive MS..- Intensive Immunosuppression with Cyclophosphamide in Remittent Forms of Multiple Sclerosis. A Follow-Up of 134 Patients for 2–10 Years..- A Pilot Study of Amantadine Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis..- Discussion.- A Synthetic Copolymer of Amino Acids in a Clinical Trial for MS Therapy.- Studies on Myelin Basic Protein Administration in Multiple Sclerosis Patients. 1. Rationale and Preliminary Report of Immunologic Observations..- Studies on Myelin Basic Protein Administration in Multiple Sclerosis Patients. 2. Preliminary Report of Clinical Observations..- Discussion.- Essential Fatty Acids and Immunity..- Discussion.- The Effect of Diet on Serum Linoleic Acid in MS..- Metabolism of Myelin-Typical Long-Chain Fatty Acids..- Observations in 166 Patients with Multiple Sclerosis After Thymectomy..- Discussion.- Epidemiology of MS.- Correlation of the Course of MS and Histocompatibility Antigens..- HLA Patterns in Multiple Sclerosis..- Multiple Sclerosis Among Immigrants to Britain and in the Islands of Sicily and Malta..- The HLA-D System in Multiple Sclerosis..- HLA-Dw2-Associated C2 Hypocomplementemia in Multiple Sclerosis: A New Genetic Marker?.- A Sib-Pair Double-Case Study of the Genetics of Multiple Sclerosis. An Interim Report on 34 Pairs of Affected Siblings..- Discussion.- The Geographic Distribution of Multiple Sclerosis: New Concepts..- Epidemiological and Immunogenetic Studies of Multiple Sclerosis in Japan.- Cerebrospinal Fluid Findings in Japanese Patients with Multiple Sclerosis..- HLA Groups in Relation to Epidemiology..- Clustering and Epidemic Occurrence of MS..- Discussion.- Epidemiological and Serological Findings in Multiple Sclerosis, Results of a 12-Year Study in Southern Lower Saxony..- Studies on the Course of Multiple Sclerosis..- MS in Switzerland-Canton Wallis..- Epidemiological Research in MS in Italy and Optic Neuritic Risk Cases of MS..- Optic Neuritis in Hannover ― An Epidemiologic and Serogenetic Study..- Some Features of MS in Pécs, Hungary..- Discussion.- Clinical Definition and Assessment of the Course of MS.- IMAB ― Enquête Concerning the Diagnostic Criteria for MS..- The Role of Evoked Potentials in the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis..- Value of the Evoked Potential Examination in Diagnosis of MS..- Pattern-Evoked Visual Potentials in 251 MS Patients in Relation to Opthalmological Findings and Diagnostic Classification..- Pattern and Flash Visual-Evoked Responses in Multiple Sclerosis..- Quantitative Evaluation of Visual Disturbance in Optic Neuritis. A Follow-up Study of 30 Cases by Static Perimetry..- Evaluation of Motor Deficits in Patients Suffering from Multiple Sclerosis..- CT Scan in the Diagnosis and Assessment of the Course of MS..- Quantitation and Assessment of the Course of Multiple Sclerosis. Some Remarks..- Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Trials: A Comprehensive System for the Measurement and Evaluation of Neurologic Function..- Clinicopathological and Epidemiological Documentation of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis..- Taxonomy and Multiple Sclerosis..- Discussion.- Multiple Sclerosis: Generating Effective Human Services..- Summary and Concluding Remarks..- Panel Discussion.