Neurology

Our clinical researchers collaborate with investigators internationally to organize, perform, and report studies of new therapeutic approaches to disease modification and symptom management for patients with multiple sclerosis. Other areas of clinical investigation include the pathophysiology and measurement of motor dysfunction, fatigue, and cognitive impairment in central nervous system disorders and the use of novel quantitative measures of neurologic dysfunction in clinical trials. Funding for these studies comes from a variety of sources, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Our basic laboratory research programs are funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. We study the role of cytokines and chemokines in models of neuro-inflammation as a basis for furthering the understanding of the immunopathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders. We also study the effects of Human Herpesvirus-6 and other viruses on cells of the central nervous system in order to determine whether they might play a role in the pathogenesis of demyelinative disorders such as multiple sclerosis.

Our translational research efforts are directed toward the development of new therapeutic approaches for immunomodulation and neuroregeneration in multiple sclerosis. We have received funding as part of the University’s NIH Autoimmunity Center of Excellence program to explore the pathogenic role of the monokine, IL 12/23 p40, during the course of the disease in patients with multiple sclerosis.